Frankie

Cats have always been a part of my life. Our family had Siamese cats – Samantha, George, Clyde. When I moved from my parents’ house and went on to college I developed an affinity for tabbies, black and tan or black and grey, in particular. Over my years of living with tabby cats I’ve loved Thita, Samson, Nelson, Jasper, Chip, and now Frankie. Only Chip and Frankie are with me now; the others have traveled across the Rainbow Bridge.

This is a story of timing, and I believe its lesson is that one cannot force a particular outcome when a different one is destined. To explain…the Frankie you see pictured here wasn’t the “original” Frankie. The “original” Frankie was a black and tan tabby adopted from a local shelter. At the time, I still had Jasper, who was 15-years old, and Chip, who’s 9-years old. When I brought home the first “Frankie,” Jasper and Chip wanted nothing to do with him and my husband wouldn’t even refer to Frankie by name. In short, it was bad timing all around. The “original” Frankie was returned to the shelter and, much to my delight, was adopted the same day by a loving family.

Within a couple of weeks of returning the “original” Frankie to the shelter, Jasper stopped eating and drinking. Tests indicated that it was most likely cancer. This was not the first time I needed to make a decision about a loved one’s future. As painful as it was, I decided to send Jasper on to that place where animals are healthy, restored and frolicking with others.

After Jasper’s passing, Chip would walk the halls of the house calling out for his buddy who, while he was with us, would always respond…but of course there would come no reply. My husband and I felt for Chip and his loss and decided to find him a playmate. Enter the Frankie you see pictured. Also a shelter adoptee, Frankie, despite his being an orange tabby (orange cats were never in my color scheme!), has become a member of our family and Chip’s new buddy. Timing is everything…

~Roxanne Hernandez