About 16 years ago, probably one of the lowest and loneliness times in my life, I decided to get a kitty. I had a dog and cat while growing up… but you know how that is, Mom or Dad actually take care of them. I went and picked out this little fluffy orange fur-ball from a litter of about 8 kitties. I had picked out some names that I was going to name him, but as soon as I looked him in the face, I said “TOBY….You’re going to be Toby” (not even one of the names that I was even considering!) The joy and torment of having a kitten was AWESOME! There was actually “life” in the house again!! He’d run around playing, scale my bathroom shower curtain while I was taking a shower (ugh!), climb up my pant leg (ouch!) and sit on my shoulder while I dried my hair, caught his tail in the front door and lost ¾ of his long beautiful tail (yes, I STILL feel guilty about that!)…All those fun things… It was just me and Tob, against the world. Until a year later when my step-dad brought home a stray, 4+ week old, fluffy orange fur-ball on his shoulder. She looked just like Toby! Since my Mom was on a “No more pets; it’s too painful when we lose them,” kick, this little thing came home with me. I named her Tasha. It took Toby a while to warm up to his new little sister…but before too long, they were best buddies - like frick and frack! When they would sleep together, it looked like one big body with two heads! Too darned cute! They owned the house, until about 4 years later when I decided to get a dog - my dear old, Quincy! Toby and Tasha were a little unnerved having this newcomer in the house. And when Quincy realized that they would run when he chased them, it was, “Let the games begin” time! Toby and Tasha, for the most part, resided on the 2nd floor, only coming down stairs when it was ‘safe’ (when Quincy was outside). Not the greatest life to live for them (for another 10 years), but we all adapted. And the old saying “Cats are low maintenance, but dogs need your undivided attention”…. Well, how true. I know that I definitely paid more attention to Quincy. But Toby and Tasha had each other. That was enough for them (at least in my head it was). Also, when I would come to bed, we all 3 shared the same pillow! That was our ‘quality time’. October of 2006 I just happened to be upstairs in the bedroom, putting clothes away, when Toby made this very strange noise and stretched his body out. I picked him up and he died in my arms. I’m not sure what it was, I assumed a heart attack, but he went quickly. And then boy did my guilt set in – for not spending enough time with them and only seeing him when I went upstairs. We buried him out back in the yard with a little tombstone. My little Tasha lived another year (which surprised me because all she’d known was Toby; he was her life). But she would always be upstairs crying after Toby passed away…again, only getting my attention when I went upstairs. In November of 2007 we came home from vacation to find that Tasha lost all of her mobility in her hind legs. She was wet with urine and couldn’t move. The vet said she might have had an embolism. SO, I had to make the decision to put her down – all too fast of a decision to make, and after just coming home from vacation. But she was in pain and reversing her paralysis at her age, and surviving it, was slim to none. We buried Tasha right beside Toby; now they are together again, and probably getting chased by Quincy again in Heaven. Toby, Tasha and Quincy, ‘Mommy’ misses you so much and I still love you!