Smudge Chase

08/16/99 - 09/17 /16

Smudge came into our lives and hearts when he was almost 6 months old. We had to put our cat, Paully, to sleep and had gone to PetSmart looking for a memorial plaque to put on top of where we had buried him. As our son and I entered the store, there were cages with kittens from an adoption agency. Smudge was the only kitten that was playing with everything in his cage and was putting on quite the show and drawing a small crowd. We went home and told my husband about Smudge and we went right back into PetSmart the same day to see him. When the adoption agency brought Smudge out of the cage, he crawled right up on Daddy's chest and right then and there we knew he was going to be ours. He was the "Star of the Show" with the adoption agency and he remained the "Star of the Show" at home, too. We had to wait until Feb. 4th, 2000, to have the adoption agency bring Smudge to our home. It was a long week waiting for him to be with us. It was so worth the wait. It took Smudge just a few days to acclimate himself to his new surroundings. He started out in our office by hiding behind the computer printer and we wondered if he would ever come out. But soon, he would peek out into the living room and then run back to his safe place. And then our home became his home and our lives would never be the same because of it. Smudge would be there for us so many times with his unconditional love. When my husband and I had surgeries, Smudge was right there to cuddle with us, When our family members passed away, Smudge was right there to try and take away our sadness. He knew we needed him and he was there for us. Through 16 1 /2 years of life with us, he was a constant companion giving us love, joy companionship and smiles. We loved cuddling with Smudge in the recliner, playing
birdie with him, seeing him wait for us to come home in the front door, feeling the tap-tap on the shoulder that it was time to get up and feed him, and watching him stretch out in his sun. Our lives have been made better because Smudge was a part of it. We know Smudge has crossed The Rainbow bridge and is bouncing around and chasing birdies. We miss Smudge like crazy and have cried many tears. We know there will be a day when we are all together again. Until then, we will honor Smudge by smiling at all the amazing memories he gave to us. Little Smudge is tucked in our hearts forever and we will love him always! Mommy, Daddy, Jeff and Jason