Bubba was born on July 12th, 1992 so he is fourteen years old today.  Other than a brief period while I was doing an internship in grad school and one day a few years ago when he somehow got outside – he and I have been together ever since then.  He was born in my house.  My partner, at that time, and I were living in Iowa City near the Iowa River and had been feeding a stray cat whom we had named Fred (prior to figuring out that she was pregnant).  She stayed outdoors but on that particular morning I “knew” that she was going to give birth.  We brought her in and helped her situate herself into a box full of old t-shirts.  She struggled like crazy with the first kitten.  The second one however, popped right out.  The 3rd and 4th were also quite a bit of work on her part.  Well, I fell in love instantly with that second kitten and knew that I was going to keep him despite the previous discussion of finding homes for all of them.  I named him Bubba and can’t really say why at the time other than it “fit” and has continued to be a name that nobody questions when they meet him.  He was dubbed a “yellow tiger” by his first vet but it is easier to describe him as a big orange cat – not unlike Garfield (and he does appreciate lasagna).  The funny thing about his size is that he was, I am not kidding either, twice as big as the other three kittens in the litter from the minute he was born.  He grew fast too… and has rarely missed a meal in his entire life. I honestly cannot describe how important he has been in my life.  He has always “been there” for me no matter what is going on.  But even more than that, he has witnessed my “growing up” stages and helped me appreciate and see my own maturing for myself as well.  I have learned a great deal about myself through him (and his siblings of course).  I am hopeful that he and I will have more time together despite his aging.  I am not ready to lose his companionship at this stage of the game.  Tonight, we made a special dinner in honor of his birthday and gave him plenty of ‘people food’ treats, I didn’t even make him wait until we were done like normal.  I also gave him a new toy (a small stuffed squirrel that I can re-fill with catnip).  He played with it for quite a while and then used it as a pillow for a nap.  He has allowed his new younger brother, Mr. Whiskers, to play with it this evening as well.  He seems to be more energetic and playful recently and is, I assume, adjusting to his more recent grief.  By the way, Bubba is quite inspirational with my writing.  I know, most cats tend to be “helpful” with activities but I am not being sarcastic in this case.  He will oftentimes sit on my desk, next to the computer and either sleep and purr while I type – or lean up with his paws on the keyboard a bit and watch the words appear back and forth across the screen.  I promised him I would write about him today and beleive he will appreciate this.