Birney, the perfect cat

"Catnap" is truly captured here...

Birney has been saving my life for 8 years now. If you haven't met Birney, your life is not quite complete, sorry. Even the "non cat-people" agree that Birney is one cool cat. (I mean, he smiles! Come on!)

He came into my life randomly, yet really it was an ordained by a higher power sort of way. He was a stray kitten that was brought to me the morning of the funeral for Matt. (Click on this blog post for further backstory.)This is very tragic, I know...I feel a bit naked writing this, but it's how I got him. He was wandering around Sheridan, WY and a friend of Matt's brought him to me. It was illogical and quite ridiculous to bring a pet into my life when I didn't even know what day it was or how I was going to take my next breath.

But there he was. Ready to love me unconditionally and make my life bearable. He moved with me to Denver and I reinvented my life with Birney in it. (BTW, Birney is the name of a small town in MT that has significance for me...and it's such a cute name!)

This summer, as my life with Baxter (our dog), is progressing and I am more and more a 'dog-person' I can't help but see the amazing miracle that Birney is in my life. He lumps his 18.5-pound body on me every day and purrs like a John Deere. He is always present and has put up with 55 pounds of puppy like a champ.

The irritation is unmistakable...what a trooper Birney is for sharing this 

coveted space with a silly dog!

He is a true cat-cat...playful, sleepy, funny and comforting. And, if you have been to any of our parties, Birney is a party cat. He doesn't sleep until we do!

Oh, Birney. Thanks for saving me. Cheers to many more years together.