After almost 18 years, Ninja left us yesterday and has joined his buddies in the big garden in the sky.
Ninja was, to say the least, a big part of my life. I've had many cats over the years, but every once in a while, a cat comes along that is just different. I have never met, nor probably never will meet again, a cat that was as smart, loving, insistent, and just plain fun to be around as Ninja was. He was more of a sidekick, or a friend even, to me than a pet. He was the closet thing I may ever have had to a son. People who know
me personally could not even picture me without him by my side. Unless you were deathly allergic to cats, everyone who had met him offered at one time or another to "take him off my hands" as they would say, seeing how special he was.
I got Ninja from the SPCA in 1990. To make a long story short, I had adopted 2 kittens from the SPCA ( Lucille and Sylvester) and unfortunately Sylvester developed feline leukemia and had to be put down shortly after getting him home. The SPCA felt terrible that I had lost one the kittens so soon after adoption, and said that they had a kitten that needed to be put into a good home. Within the week, the Vet who had been bringing Ninja back to health (he had been found abandoned and sick) brought him to my apartment and left the little monster in my care.
"He's very needy and will want lots of attention" she told me. I had no idea what that really meant at the time.
I immediately realized that Ninja was a different kind of cat. He was exceptionally smart, like a dog(which is a strange thing for me to say), and very communicative. He loved people, almost to the point of being overly friendly. He was usually very well behaved, but he did seem to enjoy trying to get me riled up from time to time. He had many fun quirks, like loving to cuddle up, or chatting you non-stop until he got his way. Every day when I would come home, he would be waiting by the door. Every single time I would get out of the shower, there he was, waiting for me, so he could get dripped on (the cat loved water), and then would get his own little towel and a nice rub down. All of the neighbours quickly learned his name from his regular episodes of escaping from the yard and me frantically searching for him. He was a special cat, very trusting and I always worried about him being abducted by someone who found him too charming.Everyone I knew loved him, and many mentioned that they had never met a cooler cat in their lives. I certainly know I hadn't, and never will.
Ninja bonded quickly with Lucille, (not that she had any choice in the matter- he was an insistent pest) and after a couple of years Spock joined the fold. When I lived in Gatineau and had the first yard, Ninja revelled in exploring and getting into trouble and was instrumental in Cybil joining the family for a few years. She was a feral cat that lived under the porch that feel head over heels in love with Ninja and she adapted and became a house kitty. Ninja and the gang had a nice life together, and they shared life and all of it's ups and downs over the past 18 years. We shared 5 different homes, loved and shared good times and bad, and grew together as a family.
Cybil left us a few years ago and that broke Ninja's heart and he mourned her for many months before returning to his regular spunky self. Spock left us 2 years ago, and Lucille less than a year ago, and now the last of my original trio has gone on as well.... last year after losing Lucille I adopted 2 new beasts to make sure Ninja wasn't alone ( he was a very social animal) and he adopted Angelina and Houdini with great ease and of course taught them all the things that they shouldn't really do. Angelina was miss "mon oncle" who was her big fluffy pillow.
All good things must end. I'm sorry he couldn't have lived longer, but some things just aren't meant to be. I am grateful I had found him, and was allowed to be with him over last 17+ years.
My life will never be the same without you, Ninja. I miss you more than you will ever know.
You are loved and missed by all of the family and friends, and may you be chasing birds and squirrels in heaven with your friends that have gone on before you.
Houdini loves "his" Apple Tree and it's a regular spot for sharpening those claws (sorry tree), playing around and climbing the branches. 
