True friends can come in any size, and be any shape, color or species, true deep friendship is blind to each other’s differences and faults, I learned this first hand from my grandmother’s favorite cat.

           When I was a teenager my father took a job in Saudi Arabia and my mom, brother and I moved in with her mother while my mom searched for a new place for us to live. My grandmother was a widow and lived alone, with the exception of her two pet cats, Patches and Smokey. Patches was a pretty, playful and friendly little calico cat, while Smokey was a huge grey shorthair that had the disposition of the Terminator. The only person Smokey liked or even tolerated was my grandmother, to whom she was a constant and loving companion. Smokey would let you know she didn’t like you by either giving you a cold stare or growling at you, or both. Anybody who came to Grandmother’s door, whether it was a delivery man or the mail man was subject to Smokey’s evil stare and growls. Smokey was also naughty, she’d jump on the table during meals and try and steal your food right off your plate, to which my grandmother would only laugh and then scoop up her huge naughty cat and reward her with tidbits.

           My grandmother had a habit of staying up late every night to watch the Late Show; often falling asleep on the sofa and not waking up till the next morning, as her living room was drafty she’d use an electric blanket to stay warm, and would cuddle up with Smokey under the blanket to watch television. Late one night my mother and I were awakened by a loud crash and meowing, we jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, to find Smokey smacking my grandmother in the face and nipping her on the ear, while smoke spiraled up from the sofa. Smokey finally succeeded at awakening my grandmother as my mother and I ran into the living room, my mother yanked her mother off the sofa, quickly seeing that the electric blanket was on fire. My mom pulled the cord for the blanket out of the wall while I ran to get a pan of water and open the front door to let in some fresh air. My mother and I put out the smoldering fire on the sofa and then checked over grandmother, who by a miracle was unharmed.

           My mother quickly determined that the electric blanket had gotten folded under my grandmother and overheated setting the sofa on fire, my grandmother who had had a drink of sherry and was a heavy sleepier hadn’t smelt or felt anything and would have been badly burned or even been burned to death if not for the quick thinking of Smokey. Smokey had apparently knocked over a very large and heavy ceramic lamp, it’s breaking sound had been what had awakened my mother and I and when my grandmother had slept through that Smokey had nipped and smacked my Grandmother’s face till she’d awakened. If not for Smokey’s quick thinking there might have been a catastrophe. After that night Smokey could do no wrong in my Grandmother’s eyes and Smokey ate dinner with us every night, while seated on the dinner table in the place of honor. Smokey had shown that not only was she my grandmother’s true friend and protector but her best friend.