Black Angel

by Jennifer
(Pacific Northwest)

I don't believe that I will ever love any animal the way I love Sadie. My husband and I adopted her from the Humane Society in 2001. I was looking at a pretty orange cat in a cage, but my husband pointed to a kitty in a communal area with other cats, sleeping on the floor in a funny position. "How about the little black one?" he asked.

We brought the little black one home and named her Sadie, and if I had had any idea how much joy she would bring to my life, I would never have hesitated. She was very timid and fearful of everyone except my husband and me, but she and I formed a bond that I did not realize was possible between cats and humans. Every day when I came home, she would be waiting for me at the top of the stairs. I would pick her up, and she would nuzzle my face. Later, she would get in the window and watch for my husband; as soon as she saw his car pull in, she would begin to call to him (like many black cats, she was very chatty).

Sadie stuck close when I was home. My husband called her my "little parade," because she followed me everywhere and hung out wherever I was. I will so miss that soft bump on the back of my leg while I'm making dinner - I never had to look to see which cat it was, because I knew it was Sadie, pushing her head against me.

The whole in my heart that I feel at the loss of my little girl is so intense, I can't imagine ever getting over it completely. I'll always wonder if I couldn't have done more to save her.