Gizmo was born in the back of a semi-truck, son a a runaway father and slightly irresponsible mother. He didn't let the difficult upbringing affect him at all. He learned quickly to befriend others. My wife Judy first met Gizmo when he was very young and had been separated from his mother. All the women in the office loved him immediately, but Judy was the one who Gizmo took to the most and it was not long until he became part of our family.
Let''s just say that his older brother Felix was not as easy to get along with. For the first few weeks the two had to be separated for their safety and our sanity, but it was not long until the young Gizmo won the respect of his older (by 1 1/2 years) brother. For the next 15 years the 2 were inseparable. They played together, ate together and slept together.
As is often the case, the older siblings are the first to go. As Felix suffered through a cancerous growth on his larynx, Gizmo was inconsolable, lost... After a bit of time, Gizmo marched forward on his own. As he had been since the beginning, undeterred by his surroundings, he sought out others, relished in his new role in the family and even became a social beacon for the rest of the family.
Sadly, this last Saturday Gizmo passed after a long bout with kidney disease. He was a good friend, brother and family member. At age 93 (19 in cat years) he lived a full and rewarding life. He will be missed, but someday my wife and I may adopt another cat, heck maybe even a dog.
