If it is a great photo and it’s on my page Frank Dolci probably took it. He’s an amazing photographer and I’m grateful to have him on the globetrotting grandpa team. This is my cat Elton who I lost back in 2016. He was 19. This is one of his last pictures. Frank found this photo and recently sent it to me. Frank really captured Elton in his last years. I had Elton from the time he was a kitten. He was the first pet I ever had for the entirety of their lifecycle. Elton was shy, neurotic, and liked to keep to himself. The first six months I had him he stayed underneath my bed. I had a litterbox on one side and his food on the other side of the under-space.
Then one morning I woke up and he was cuddled up next to me. I stroke him gently which startled him and made him run back to his safe place beneath my bed. Eventually, his time above bed increased and he shyly entered and explored the outer rooms. But he never really warmed up to the rest of the house and preferred the safety of my bedroom. He was so cute as a kitten but never took to cuddling. His adorable features belied more complicated personae. If I were being honest, I’d have to admit I wanted a cuddlier but that’s not what I got. Elton helped me to remember to value the real in those I meet even if my expectations are different. Elton wasn’t what I thought I was getting when I picked him from the litter. Turns out he was better. Nineteen years later when I said my final goodbye, I wouldn’t change a single day.
