Leo's Magic

One of my favorite pictures of the summer:

This was taken right after a run when I found Leo sound asleep on his back with all four legs in the air on his favorite place on the futon. What a guy.

Even though I love him more than any pet, ever, Leo has always been his own cat. He has far exceeded his "nine lives" as far as I am concerned, but there is no stopping him. He knows what he wants and he is incredibly smart in getting there. When I recently told our vet that we let him outside nearly every day, I was expecting the admonishment most vets would give, but Dr. O. just said, "Well, don't advertise this but I let my own cat out also, I figure he is going to have a much happier, healthier life even if it is shorter."

I took that comment seriously and began to think about the fact that Leo may be that bright flame that burns out a little sooner than indoor kitties. A couple of weeks ago, as we were leaving for the Boundary Waters, Leo left for longer than usual. He was gone for about 48 hours. We had to leave without him coming back. He returned the following morning when my mom came to look for him, but I was convinced that "this was it". I was surprised at much it affected me to think that this really might be the time that he wouldn't pull through.

Well, the story obviously ended happily, Leo returned with the sort of air of, "well, where's the food? I'm hungry." and we returned from our trip happy to see him (although husband was referring to him as the bastard cat). Since then, however, I have been more careful to enjoy his wonderful vocal range, his fabulous personality, and his very entitled behavior. He is what I love about him.