So you probably think I’m a dog lover by far. Yes, I do love dogs but that is a fairly new love affair. From childhood, it has always been cats. I think I was afraid of dogs. My Mom was and still is afraid of dogs. I wanted a puppy when I was little, what little kid doesn’t, but never got one. We finally got a kitten. Probably because we had mice and my parents thought the solution would be a cat. Well, my first cat was a Calico names Patches. She had a patch over an eye and I called her Patchee for short (get it, ‘chee”) Well, she was awesome. The mice were gone within minutes never to be seen again. She didn’t go outside too much, but we let her out every now and then. I remember my Dad thinking she was the smartest cat on the planet because she covered her poop with dirt. I know, smartest cat ever. He didn’t even believe me when I told him, ALL cats do that. So I let him think we had the most special one. Sadly, one day my parents made me give her away, not away to anyone, just away. Made me sad and guilty at the same time. Perhaps I’m still trying to make up for it. Though the adult in me, tells me it wasn’t my fault as I was a child. But the child in me is sorry forever. Praying for her every day, forcing my Dad to drive me out there to leave catfood behind for her for months still never took the pain away. (I don’t think I have forgiven my parents yet).

Moving to CA, I wanted a kitten. Mochi, the smallest one in the bunch I favored. Since I too was always the smallest one in the bunch. I felt an instant connection. Though not the prettiest of the Mainecoons. She has these little tufts of hair in her paws all ready for walking in the snow in Maine. However, she will never see snow in Los Angeles. At least not yet she hasn’t.

Cats definitely have 9 lives and so the saying goes. I was living in Pasadena, CA at the time. Our apt had a huge balcony where Mochi loved to walk the wall. You know, cats can walk across anything, they’re like natural gymnasts. You saw the show where the cat falls and flips nine somersaults in the air. It always made me a bit nervous but she loved it. And she did it every day.

I’ts warm over in Pasadena, and the cats just love to bask in it. One day, coming home from work, I couldn’t find her. Didn’t worry at first but after a few more minutes, it wasn’t like her to not respond. I combed the entire apt. She was NOT in it. I was started to freak out. Few days before, there were these terrible crows that seemed to just swoop around tormenting the cats that liked to hang. Cats aren’t afraid of birds. Perhaps the crows knew that. I was afraid something had happened to Mochi. I ran down to the main floor, we were on the 3rd.

I don’t know how I found her, but she was away from the apt in the corner in the bushes in a ball. I started to cry. Picked her up so slightly, she was hurt. Apparently she had fallen and I could see her claw marks down the side of the balcony trying to hang on for dear life. I called my friend and neighbor Mel as well. ( Mochi remembered Auntie Mel years later after she had come back from living in Maui).

Bawling, my roommate and I got her to the ER. They took her in, said she had to be admitted. (a cat admitted to the hospital?! It was unbelievable) She had cracked her palate and there was nothing that could be done but for it to heal on its own. She was admitted for over night observation, a small IV was put in her paw. I didn’t sleep all night, I called at midnight to see how she was doing and the nurse said she was getting pain medication. (now get this, I am a pharmacist. Imagining, Mochi needing morphine or IV’s made it even worse I think) It was horrible. I remember my brother calling me from WA trying to console me.

I attribute all of Mochi’s pain to the crows, how they must have tormented her and got her to lose her balance for she NEVER DID. Seeing the claw marks down the side of wall and her rolled in a little ball for hours.

Waiting for me to find her broke my heart. She finally came home. She is now 13. Now you know why I call her my angel. For the past 13 years, she’s heard all my secrets, seen the places I have lived, whom I have loved. She still does. She’s Mochi.