A dear friend was “talking” to Buddy recently and told him was was now retired and should live the good life.

As regular readers know, Buddy was Wayne’s buddy/guardian/comfort since December 2003.

He faithfully lay by Wayne’s feet, sat in his lap or cuddled Wayne’s feet in bed.

When Wayne started tossing around in bed at night, Buddy literally hung on to the covers. It was actually comical as he’d be tossed like a cork in a stream. As the spasms increased, Buddy was tossed off the bed twice when he was in a dead sleep. I would awake to “thump” and a bewildered cat crawling back on the bed! After the second time, he chose to sleep just aside from Wayne’s feet – after Wayne fell asleep.

The SPCA had named the cat Lynx (for his furry paws) but Wayne said he needed a better name – the only name which seemed perfect was “Buddy” and a buddy he was.

If Wayne went downstairs, the cat would sit and listen for Wayne’s footsteps. If he were “lost”, Buddy would look at me as if to say, “Go help Dad, he’s going the wrong way.”

So, here’s to you Bud, relax and enjoy the rest of your days. Love “Mom”