Bellamy Cash
“Our Little Otter”
Written by Alicia Chabin
“You can’t have just one”. Words and a belief that always rang throughout me and Scott’s homes. Our respective households overflowed with a deep love for animals, and it showed in how our families always included more than one dog, cat, or other animal at a time. We followed in that belief of, “you can’t have just one” when we grew into adults ourselves and realized we needed another cat to add to our family upon moving to Steel City. Walking into the Humane Society one day, our destined new addition sat almost awaiting us in his cage front and center. This small little ball of black fur looked on at us and seemed to silently tell us, “It’s me! I am the one you are here for!”. That little cat stood correct. Almost as quickly as we saw him, I filled out the paperwork to make him ours as he nuzzled up against Scott’s leg relishing in his victory of securing a new family that would spoil him for the rest of his life.
Bellamy could serve as a poster child for a spoiled house cat. He stood aghast as he realized how many toys he could play with when he arrived home for the first time and wasted no time taking over playtime. It seemed like he never got a chance to properly play in his life before finding us. The only thing he loved more than toys was treats of all kind. He soon got to a taste of every kitty friendly ingredient I prepared in the kitchen and ultimately worked his way to my sous-chef as he watched me prepare new weekly recipes. If was not overseeing my kitchen activities, he supervised Scott building new furniture or putting things together for our apartment. He inspected every bag, box, and tool and soon doubled as the second handy man of our home. His skills did not stop there, though. Just like me, Bellamy lived to entertain a party. Our house guests always could count on Bellamy greeting them with his toy for a quick playtime session before joining them at the coffee table for games. Our little man could make non-cat people change their opinion on felines in one night with his character and charm. His sisters, however, loved him for an entirely different reason,
Unfortunately for our two other cats, Cheddar and Evelyn, Bellamy was the youngest and therefore, the instigator. He would want to play all the time, even as the girls tried to partake in their afternoon snoozes, or take the toys they played with in his rambunctious efforts. As much as he frustrated them sometimes, he made up for it in showing them love and cuddles. He did this by invading their personal space of course, but I think both the ladies knew their younger brother loved him with his whole heart. He also served as everyone’s watchful eye, always keeping an eye on the doors and windows for any type of intruder. This task is something he took on until the very end.
During Bellamy’s last few days, it was just him, me, and his sisters. He slept by my side every night, followed me around the apartment, and insisted on extra belly rubs and chin scratches. He acted extra attentive when Scott left town before, so I thought nothing of his slight behavior change though in hindsight, I think he knew his time with his family was coming to an abrupt end. On his last night, we fell asleep in bed together watching Netflix like any other evening. I even went as far as explaining to him aloud how King Louis XV of France earned the nickname as “Louis the Beloved” though the reason for it escaped me. He of course did not understand what I spoke of, but looked at me barely interested nonetheless. He kept an eye on the door, keeping watch for me as I eventually dozed off. I told him what a good boy he was and relished in how lucky I was to find a cat like him before falling asleep with my little nighttime guard. The next morning, as devastating as it was to find him no longer with us, he chose to curl up next to my side of the bed in his final moments rather than somewhere by himself. He chose to stay by his person’s side until his very end.
Though Bellamy’s life was cut short, he made every day count and managed to squeeze a lifetime of joy and happiness into his short year and a half with us; both for himself and for his family. We will feel his absence for a long time, but we like to think that we will still try to trip us in the hallway late at night, insist on watching us complete our day-to-day tasks no matter how mundane, and keep a watchful eye on us for the days and nights to come. He truly made the most out of his life in our 1,000 square foot apartment, and we did our best to give him the best life possible. Thankfully at the end, I can say confidently that Scott and I gave our little man the greatest life a cat could hope for.
