Marley

Loved...

1. Playing bathtub. Letting the trickle of water run down his head and pool at the bottom, while he drank and played in it.

2. Licking plastic. Any plastic! Window blinds, plastic bags from the grocery store, plastic wrappers off new items. He always got excited when I would rustle some plastic, and he'd come running to play with it. I always supervised him though. Although, a couple of nights J.D. and I were woken by the sound of Mars finding and licking some piece of plastic in the bedroom. He was very creative and good at finding the smallest piece.

3. Bug hunting. He was my little bug-hunter. I'd see a bug and call "Marley!" He'd chase it down. He liked to go bug hunting in the stairwell. He also liked climbing up the stairs with me to go investigate the neighbors.

4. Checking the mail. I'd open the door and take out the Baker-deadbolt (a butter knife wedged in between the door and frame). I'd jingle the keys, and Mars would be there to go with me. He liked scratching the heck out of the doormat and going down the stairs to look for bugs while I got the mail. He would sometimes just hang out there.

5. Looking out the window. Mostly in the computer room, when I would be in there doing work, he'd always come join me. He liked to lay on the daybed, so I'd raise the blinds and let him watch squirrels climbing up and down the tree.

6. Lying on my lap, with his head on my arm. Marley would curl up and let me hold him like a little baby. He'd rest his head on my arm and purr. I'd stroke his belly and face (he was the only cat J.D. has seen that liked his face pet). He died while I was holding him in this way.

7. Sleeping beside me. Marley and I first became friends on the bed, when Catherine and Liz brought me my angel. I took him some catnip and played with him. He purred and seemed to like me right away. The next six years we spent together were very special. Over the years he would jump up and lay beside me in the bed for 15-20 minutes before I feel asleep. I would pet him, and then, when I got tired, he would jump down and sleep on the floor or in his kitty-bed beside me. The night he died, I placed him in his kitty-bed and he slept beside me one last time.

8. Waking me up in the mornings. Mars went through several phases of this, each one a little different. At first, he was very polite and would wait until I was wide awake before jumping up beside me. During a middle phase, he took it upon himself to come lie by my head and purr, so that he helped me wake up. (He really loved his wet food breakfast). The last phase, he would watch for me to show any sign or sound that I was beginning to wake, then he'd come snuggle beside me and let me gradually wake up.

9. Running to his food. Mars was very cute when he ran. His little jelly rolls would swing in the air. I remember when my brother Chad saw Mars run, he laughed because Marley's belly swayed side-to-side. J.D. liked to tease Mars by saying he had "bosoms." Marley was so fun to pet and hug, and I loved seeing him run. Sometimes I'd just run to the kitchen and back with him, for both our exercise. He'd watch for the slightest movement or indication on my part that I was going to move in that direction.

10. Riding in the rolling chairs. Mars liked when I pushed him slowly around the apartment in the computer chairs. Once he wasn't feeling well, (he had eaten a red toy feather by accident) and I placed him in one of the chairs to pet him. Since then, the chairs meant comfort and safety, and he enjoyed sitting in one next to me while I worked at the computer. He'd even let me roll him around as I moved from room to room. I also let him scratch those chairs (although not when J.D. was looking). He liked ripping them up a bit, just to make them more cozy and homey.

11. Jumping up by the computer. There was a time when Marley loved to come see what I was typing all the time. He would jump up beside the keyboard and watch me type. Or, if I moved the mouse, he would watch and paw at the moving arrow on the screen. He had fun getting pets while I was trying to be busy. It comforts me now to think that I always gave him some pets and never yelled at him for just trying to help out.

12. Lying on books and papers. If there were any important papers or books open, Mars would be attracted to them first, above all else including pillows or blankets. Somehow whatever papers or books I was reading were the ones he wanted too.

13. Coming to greet us. When we'd get home from anything, Mars would come see us. When I came home from school I'd call for him, and he'd be there. I enjoyed walking in and saying, "Marley, we're home."

14. Hanging out on my scrapbook cases. He co-opted my bags as his official hang-out. He liked sitting there because he could see what was happening in multiple rooms. He kept an eye on us. He also liked the blanket I put there for him.

15. Enjoying a midnight snack. After tucking me in at night, Mars would go get a final bedtime snack. I could hear him open the bedroom door with his paw, walk to his food, and munch on his dry food. Then I'd hear his paws and nails clicking on the hardwood floor as he came back to bed.

16. Following me everywhere. He liked to be near me. I'd go into a different room, and he'd come along. If I went into the bathroom without him, he'd wait by the door and scratch under it or meow for me to let him in. He just wanted to be where I was.

17. Scratching everything but his litter. Marley had a really funny tick. He liked scratching the HECK out of his litter box, including the walls, the ceiling, and the surrounding area. He worked so hard and never quite managed to cover what he needed.

18. Eating his catnip. He especially loved fresh catnip, before it had been opened. He would smell it and eagerly await the first taste. He had catnip at his scratching post. He liked rolling in it and then tearing up whatever was in his path.

19. Chasing my feet under the covers. He loved pouncing on anything that moved under the bedspread. I loved playing this game with Mars. But he only tried to get our hands or feet when we wanted to play, never by surprise attack. He was so good.

20. Going outside on the stairs with me. I like to sometimes sit outside and just watch the leaves or enjoy the weather. I would leave the screen door open and Mars would come join me. We'd sit together and listen to whatever was around us. If anyone came, he could run back inside. Marley, unlike Figaro, never tried to go too far from me.

21. Doing his jumping trick. Mars would jump up and pet his head against my hand. He went pretty high up in the air too!

22. Sticking his tongue out. Marley always had one little tooth poke out, a cute fang. But he would also often go around with the tip of his tongue sticking out.

23. Pawing at ribbons. Mars liked any string or ribbon. His favorite was the blue ribbon on my robe. I'd lay the robe on the bathroom floor and let him play with the ribbon while I took a bath. Then at other times, we'd just play with whatever ribbon or string was around. When we took his body to the vet, I cut the blue ribbon off my robe. J.D. and I wrote notes and placed them around Marley's neck to let anyone know who he was. They said we'd love him forever.

24. J.D. Mars had a good "daddy" who took care of him. Marley was also there for J.D. when we all lost Figaro.

25. Me. I really think Marley loved me most of all. There are very few people in this world who really, truly care about us. When we find another soul who does, we are extremely blessed, and it becomes a reason to be alive. I feel there's one less reason for me now in this world. In the end, our lives make only small differences, but I really mattered to Mars, and he mattered so much to me. I can't help but believe the world will always be better because it had the light of this strong, sweet, good little spirit named Marley.

I want to remember every detail about Marley. It pains me there will be no more new memories or adventures, but I cherish everything we had. He was more than a cat to me. He was my friend, my companion, my angel, my baby, my heart.