We always joked that Gregor wanted to be a dog because he was so big and so playful and so friendly. At his heaviest, he was 23 pounds, and he wore it well because he was such a big boy. He later slimmed down to 18 pounds and was always in good health until the end. He was different from so many other cats I've known over the years, and he was also extremely sensitive. We always said that Gregor had psychic abilities, and he would let us know when something weird was going on. There was one night years ago when Gregor started pacing and growling in the middle of the night, and minutes later, a man crashed his car into our yard and almost hit our house. Another time, our very elderly dog passed away, and before we even knew, Gregor ran through the house yowling and then hid in a cabinet. He refused to come out. An hour later, we found our dog, and we knew then that our dog had chased Gregor through the house one last time. Only Gregor could see her.

As Gregor got to be a middle-aged cat, we started calling him the "Buddha cat" because he was so relaxed all the time. He would sleep on his back in a floating position, just bobbing along and enjoying whatever came. He loved belly scratches, and if we were sitting, he was on our lap. He was the sweetest kitty I ever knew, without a mean or cranky bone in his body.

When we got Gregor, he was one of three cats in our family. They were all different ages, and sadly, Gregor outlived the other two. Gregor was an only cat for a year, and during that time, he really bonded with us even more than before. Wherever we went, there was Gregor. But he was a champ and later accepted two new kittens into the house, and then he became known as Grandpa Gregor. He loved the kittens and took care of them, even when they got on his nerves.

Sadly, Gregor developed bowel cancer in early 2020, and we put him to sleep on April 25, 2020, after much soul-searching and sadness. The day before he died, Gregor spent most of his day in the window, watching the birds, and then sat on my lap all evening. He seemed to be at peace. As crushed as I was to lose him, I knew that Gregor would always be with us. I have dreamed of him a couple of times since he passed, and once he even let me pet him for just a second before he disappeared. Gregor was the most loving little soul I ever met, and I will never forget him, and I know that we will all be a family again one day.