Goodbye for Now, Precious Opie Furgus

Opie Furgus Fuzzytoes, Chieftain of the Fuzzytoes Clan, adopted me when he was about 6 months old. I say 'adopted me' because he wouldn't let anyone but me get close to him for all of his life. It took a couple of weeks for him to decide that I would be a good human mom, but once he made up his mind that was that. He was never far from my side,

or lap, although he insisted on having control of the remote! Maybe it's a guy thing...I always felt guilty when I was working in my studio because Opie would set at the far end of the kitty play yard, where he could just barely glimpse me in the studio, and yell at me. Every time I looked up, there he would be. If I had the windows open I could hear him quite clearly. He would do this until I opened the door. Then he would race at top speed through the play yard and cottage so he could meet me as I came through the cottage's back door, scold me for being gone, then leap up onto my shoulders and purr in my ear.

Opie Furgus never cared much for having his picture taken and would usually give me 'the look' as I approached him with my camera.

Or he would close his eyes as I was snapping the first one, and then he would quickly get up and walk away. I don't have as many photos of him as I would like because I hated to bother him, but sometimes I just couldn't resist.I think Christmas was his favorite time of year. He loved to hide under the tree and dart out at me and the other cats and dogs as we walked by. This is my favorite picture of Opie Furgus...waiting patiently to leap out and latch onto my ankle.