A Tribute to Tobias: My All-time Favorite Biter and First Significant Other

I’ve been writing in journals ever since I was a kid. When it was time to pick out a new one last fall, I chose a journal that had a cute flowery cat design on the cover because something in my gut said this would be a fitting journal to write in if I lost Tobias sometime in the oncoming blank pages.    

Well, today I lost him. After sixteen years together, Tobias and I had to finally say goodbye to each other.

But instead of sharing my snot-filled, tear-sogged pages with you from my current journal, I thought it’d be more uplifting to share a little from the journal I was writing in back when I first got him. So here it is.

December 12, 2007 Wednesday

Well, I’d say the two major highlights since the last time I wrote have been the addition of a cute little four-legged furball named Tobias and that wonderful holiday called Thanksgiving.

I’ll start with Tobias. He is indeed the cutest little guy. And I’m not saying that because he’s my kitten and we may be stuck together for a good 15-17 years. I’m saying it because he is indeed the cutest little guy. I mean, of course he’s a kitten and he gets into things (like the Christmas tree) and he likes to attack my feet at odd hours of the night. A couple weeks ago he fell into the toilet. But not once since I’ve had him in the past month have I wanted to kill him. And I think that was what I was a little worried about with getting a pet. I didn’t want to bring something into my life that I’d soon be plotting murder upon. So I’m actually quite smitten with Tobias. Even as his sharp dagger teeth bite into my fingers at this very moment, I know I did the right thing in bringing him into my home.

Sixteen years later, I still know I did the right thing.