JACKSON

I'll never forget the day we met. I had been stalking The Humane Society for a kitten companion for my adult cat, Desmond. I would look at the adult cats, and want to adopt every single one of them, but I just knew that what Desmond needed was a kitten. One day I stopped on my way home from work  and there were 2 kittens in a kennel with their mommy. One was an orange tabby, the other black and white with whiskers as long as he was.The sign read "Please consider adopting us as a family." Aw jeez, why'd ya have to go and do that for?! I ignored the suggestion as I focused in on the little black and white fella, who was also concentrating on me. According to the provided bio, his name was Action Jackson, because he was "always where the action is" and that he was a good boy who took good care of his brother.

I asked the attendant if I could please hold him. As she extended him to towards me, he craned his little neck forward and licked the tip of my nose with his tiny little sandpaper tongue and kitten breath.

That was all she wrote. Almost.

My ex Kerry and I had been seriously dating for several months at that point, and it seemed appropriate to run this past him first, so I put a non-refundable deposit on Jackson which was good for 48 hours. I got cold feet before I even got Kerry thru the Humane Society doors. See I wasn't really getting him for me, I believed it was Desmond who needed a companion. Was I making a huge mistake adopting another animal? It was like having buyers remorse with a living creature.

To this day, Kerry still reminds Jack that it was he who sealed the deal on the adoption. They made me wait until November 1st to bring him home because they don't allow black, or partially black cats to be adopted over Halloween week. There's allot of messed up people in this world.

From the day I brought him home he's been my super sweet, mellow fellow. He's a huge hit with all of his aunties and uncles, and they have come up with a a myriad of nicknames for him, including: Jack Jack, Jacky Boy, Jackalope, Little Jack Horner, Jacksuey [his Chinese name], Jackson Mississippi, and my favorite ( from Uncle Stacey ) Jackson Meowi [his Japanese name]. I usually just call him Shnook. Dats my boy!

By the time Kerry and I split years later, Desmond was gone and Jack and I struck out on our own. He had a difficult time adjusting to our new life and having to spend so much more time alone, without people and other animals to keep him company. For months he would howl through the night, and the lack of sleep took its toll on me. In hindsight we both had broken hearts, but we had each other. And we still do.

Jack is my best bud, and my longest relationship. This week we celebrate 11 years together, and in a lot of ways, we're like an old married couple. He's cranky when he doesn't get enough attention, I know which corner of the bed he prefers, and I always seem to be getting the what-for  when I walk through the door for being tardy. But I gotta tell ya, I wouldn't want it any another way.

Cassandra half jokingly says that "nothing lives under my roof unless it contributes to the bills."

There are definitely times when I get home the end of the day and I wish he'd vacuumed, or at least done the dishes instead of napping his whole day away. However when I think of all we've been through and seen together, about the companionship we've shared over the years, I believe his contribution to this household is more than sufficient, and it is necessary. 

Besides. His smooches are the best.