by Tamara Stewart

Created on: June 30, 2008

Simon, now there was a good puppy I mean cat. He looked like a cat. He was black and sleek, with a hint of white on his throat. Most people when they saw him took a step back. "Wow! That's one big cat you have. How much does he weigh?" This was a common question I received when people first saw Simon. My response, half jokingly, "Simon is my mini-panther and he weighs twenty-five pounds". People couldn't believe the size of him. Big Simon, he was quite the cat. People talk about how faithful and loving their dogs are. Simon always wanted to be with me. He followed me around like a puppy. He loved human companionship. Most people would comment what a wonderful cat he was. Even people who weren't cat people liked him. Even my significant other, who never considered himself a cat person, fell in love with him. Simon felt the same way about him. He had to greet him when he came to visit, and chase him around the house and tap him with his big paws like he was boxing. When I worked in my yard, Simon wanted to be right there with me. I think if he could have, he would have picked up the gardening tools and helped me do my weeding. When my significant other and I rebuilt a five-foot retaining wall in my backyard, Simon was right there. His green eyes watching everything we did, as if he was supervising our work.

Simon wasn't only a great companion, he was a great watchdog - I mean watch-cat. He used to patrol the house when he was inside. Any noise that Simon considered suspicious would have to be thoroughly checked out. I always knew when Simon was on patrol. He would let out a deep, guttural growl and would run to the window or the door to see what or who was outside. One night Simon proved his watch-cat prowess. Even though ten years have passed since the incident, I can remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was busy working on a term paper for a college class. It was getting late, about eleven o'clock in the evening. I was just finishing my paper and was going to shut down the computer and get ready for bed. Simon was lying beside my chair, sleeping deeply, his chest moving up and down as he snored. Suddenly Simon woke up startled. He lifted his head from the carpeted floor and turned his head to listen. Simon got up and ran down the stairs, letting out a ferocious sounding growl. I followed him. Simon ran straight to the front window by the couch, and then he ran to the door. Just then, I heard a noise outside. Someone was walking around on my front deck!

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