My sweet Benjamin – my soul kitty, my heart and forever companion.
I found him when I was 15, in a moment that would quietly change my life. A girl from school was giving away kittens far too young (only two weeks old). He had these giant ears that made him look a little funny and I remember thinking that if I didn’t choose him, maybe no one would. So I did. I tucked that tiny ginger boy into my shirt and walked him all the way home, his little life held close to my heart.
For two weeks, I hid him under my bed, building him a tiny kitten sanctuary, until my dad found him after hearing his mews. I cried and begged to keep him, promising he’d be mine forever. My dad agreed so long as I took him with me to university. There was never a question, Ben had my heart from day one.
We grew up together. I was there for every stage of his life, from a tiny kitten with giant ears to the gentlest, wisest old soul. He had the softest little paw taps when he wanted love or treats and he filled every space with warmth and calm.
After high school, he stayed by my side through it all – roommates, moves, and eventually meeting his cat dad. The three of us became a little trio for 12 beautiful years, building a life across 7 different homes. No matter where we went, as long as Ben was there, it was home. He was our constant, our grounding force, our big chonky boy who curled up beside us every night and worked beside us during the day.
Ben loved people, kids, and every animal he met. He became the wise uncle to so many “puppy and kitten cousins” quietly teaching calmness and love just by being himself.
He was also such a fighter and carried diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and most recently, cancer with so much strength and grace. When it was time to let him rest, we knew his soul was ready.
We miss him every day and our home feels different without him now. But we feel him everywhere, in the love he left behind and in the way he changed us forever