Buddy was a very special pet. He was my wife Tammy's cat, and he bonded with her immediately the first time we met him at a private adoption event. He came up to me initially, then crawled into Tammy's lap, began purring and after a few minutes of petting, he curled up and went to sleep. Tammy was completely won over by his sweetness and we chose him for adoption.

He made his home on Tammy's lap or very near her. He followed her all over our home to be close to her, slept with her, and when he was hungry he tapped her on the shoulder to tell her he wanted to eat.

Although Tammy was his first choice, he also bonded with me. When I was ready to go to bed, he would race to the bedroom, run back and forth on the bed, waiting for me to get ready and then to pet him vigorously before I got into bed. Then he would lay on me for a little while, then head over to Tammy's side of the bed and sleep so close to her that sometimes he almost "snuggled" her off the bed.

The most special thing about our Buddy was his gentle nature. He never scratched or bit us, kept his claws in with us, rarely hissed, and was just very loveable. As he grew to his full size, we referred to him as our "gentle giant". As far as my wife is concerned, there will never be another pet quite like Buddy. He passed away in June of 2015, and eventually we acquired another cat, a Siamese mix. We named her Tiara. She Is sweet and loaded with personality. But she will never replace our loveable Buddy.