Hershey
As some of you know, my family recently lost a pet that had been in the family for many years. I remember when he first came to our home. He was just a little thing, who barely had black on the tips of his ears, his tail, and a slight band across the eyes. My sister had just gone to bed, and I took him upstairs and put him on her bed. He wobbled as he walked, she sat up and said, "Oh cute...!"
We got another cat, named Smokey, maybe a week after. He was an all black cat, a cross between a Persian and Himalayan. Very cute, too. Because Hershey had a band across his eyes, some of us thought it would be funny if we named Hershey "The Bandit." So the duo could be "Smokey and the Bandit," like the old movie. Since Hershey was mainly my sister's cat, she did not want to change his name. She really did not know about the movie anyway. Now, looking back, I think Hershey was a much more suitable name.
He was a quiet cat, that mainly kept to himself (probably due to some other dominant felines in the house over the years). He did not like to be held or sit on your lap, but he would come to you if you whistled, "Yankee Doodle Dandy." No other tune would work. He liked to be petted and would purr loudly when you stroked his fur. He would also purr into the phone if you wanted to hear him from a long distance.
He mourned with me after Smokey died. Tragically killed by a bald eagle around one Christmastime holiday. I used to like bald eagles. I really don't care for them much anymore.
The most funniest moment Hershey gave us, was the time we heard "thumping" and "jingling" at the same time. I believe my sister and I were in the living room, we turned to see what the weird noise was. It was Hershey! He had a collar with a bell at the time, and somehow got an Easter basket wrapped between his back legs and his butt! He was running down the stairs, with a basket stuck in back bobbing up and down! It was the most hilarious site! Truly, you really would have had to been there to get the full effect.
The last weekend I had to visit Hershey he came and sat on my lap on his own. I felt honored. I also made some crack about, "Oh NOW you come to sit on me!" But I let him as long as he liked. It was a special moment. I really miss him. He really was a good kitty.
