He came to our house that summer in 2002, appearing out of nowhere. He was so thin but so very shiny and sleek, like a panther! Over the next several weeks we noticed he was being pushed around in a stroller dressed up in doll clothes. The little girls next door used him as their baby. When he could escape them he would hide out at our house staying longer and longer each time. You know cats have no loyalty, they will go where the food is the best plain and simple.

We began to notice he was a hunter, dead mice, remnants of birds and even 2 squirrels had become his prey. It bothered me he was a killer and I didn't really accept him until the killing subsided probably a factor of regular feeding both wet and dry food. He was staying at our house full time after about 6 months he was even accepted by our beloved Scottie, Rosie a dog who chased cats with a vengeance up until the final week of her 15 years. Rosie's acceptance of Thomas was the first sign he was an incredible cat.

We moved a couple of years later to the North Bay and Thomas had a new neighborhood full of very large cats to navigate. It was late one night and heard a loud noise on our porch only to see Thomas diving into the shoe basket with a cat behind him in hot pursuit. A few days later he came home with a claw stuck in the top of his head; another time his right ear was split about 1/3 of the way down the center. His ear never did heal back together but somehow I know the other cat looked worse! By now we had 3 rescue dogs sharing our house as Rosie had passed away. Although these dogs (2 Chihuahua and 1 corgi mix) constantly tormented Thomas he never hurt them he would only get out of their way. He even protected them one afternoon when a terrier broke from his leash and ran down our driveway. In a flash I saw Thomas riding this dog with all four paws wrapped around its back. The owner had to pry Thomas off her dog as I stood a few feet away in shock. We never saw that dog or its owner again.

Cancer is full blown evil it took Thomas so fast. it was maybe 2 months and Thomas was only able to eat a little, he lost weight and you could see it in his eyes that his will was alive and well but his body wouldn't cooperate. We tried for a few weeks to see if he could turn around but it wasn't happening. Dignified is the one word that describes Thomas he was a guy with manners and purpose. Animals unlike humans are able to die with Dignity and that is how Thomas went. I can't tell you how much I miss this cat who I didn't accept for a long time but somehow grew on me enough to leave a giant hole in my heart. Thomas the incredible cat.