Smokey was my first cat. I picked him up on the campus of Hofstra University. He had an incredible personality and never really became an adult cat. Well into his adult life, he could become fascinated with his reflection in his water bowl (read, ‘the marauding intruder must be attacked’). His favorite pastime was to chew up anything made of paper. After he shredded a $20 I became a lot more careful about leaving papers around. He traveled well, spending a number of summers in the Adirondaks with us. Smokey shared our lives for 16 years, when he suddenly succumbed to acute renal failure. It was then that I learned that we only borrow animals; they belong to another world and are graciously loaned to us to teach us how to love.

- Mary Paul