A Life Well Lived

Brent Heath and Tux. Photo by Cheval Force Opp

Becky Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs said:

The cat's name is 'Tux', short for 'Tuxedo' because of his markings.  He was a kitten that was evidently dropped near my parent's house LONG ago.  Tux would hide under their deck and my Mom would drop small pieces of dry cat food between the cracks in the deck to coax him out.  Finally, she won his heart - so for a long time, Tux was Mom's cat.  Then quite suddenly and unexpectedly, my Mom died in 2003.  My Dad, who was the main cook and caretaker was devastated.  And although he was never too fond of cats, managed to begin to care for Tux and they bonded.  About 6 months after my Mom died, we convinced my Dad to come to our house for a visit just for a couple of weeks (he wasn't expected to live more than a few weeks...asbestosis and coronary heart disease).  Of course my Dad asked, 'Can I bring my cat with me'?  He did and they both lived with us and slept together for 3 1/2 years.  My Dad died first and 'Tux' really mourned the loss of both his caretakers.  Although Tux was well over 15 years old, he began to run around like a young cat again.  He live another year after Daddy died.  He was well loved, cared for, was a great hunter and lived a long, healthy life.

This photo was taken at Brent and Becky's Bulbs by Cheval Force Opp on a garden tour during a Garden Writers Association regional meeting.