"You!" I exclaimed. "I'm taking you home with me!"

Back at my house, in Kitchener, Saffron bounded around energetically, excited to be in his new home. This was no shabby tabby. He loved to run and play and explore every nook and cranny he could find. I traveled around Ontario quite a bit for my job at the time, particularly to Toronto, Kingston, and Ottawa, and Saffron got to see all of these cities.

Saffron also enjoyed going to the movies; I would bundle him into my oversized winter coat to get in, and he would watch with rapt attention. He always kept quiet at the movies except when an animal was on the screen; he would meow at the sight of Spot in Star Trek: Generations, for example, to whom he bore a slight resemblance.

In the summer of 1995, I got a job in Montreal, and Saffron moved with me to la belle province. It was there that we met Mommy Cat, aka Janet. The three of us soon moved back to Waterloo, where we were a happy family: Mommy Cat, Daddy Cat, and Puddy Cat.

Sadly, throughout much of his life, Saffron had problems with his kidneys. At times, this caused listlessness and dangerous weight loss, and we had a few close calls over the years. Dr. Bonnie Worthen, who runs The Cat Hospital in Kitchener, always took wonderful care of him. In 2003, Saffron's condition worsened considerably, and I can't describe in words the sadness and sense of loss that we felt when we said our last goodbye to him on December 18, as he drew his last breath while being held in our arms in our family room.

Saffron loved to cuddle with us, prowl around the back yard, chase laser pointer spots on the wall, and look out the window at birds. We are enormously fortunate to have met him and shared our lives, and we will always remember him as a kitty cat whose trust and love for us was absolute, infinite, and unconditional.