Forever Prancing in the Garden <3

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Since this month's challenge is about irl pets, I decided it was a great time to talk about my wonderful boy Apollo who's friendliness and unique personality made him a friend to many.

Apollo Cat (Pollo, Pollito, Fat Boy, Handsome Man, for short) was a 6 year old orange Domestic Shorthair with the sweetest and smartest mind that I have ever seen on any cat. I remember when I first saw him at the shelter we adopted him from. He was an itty bitty kitty with the largest set of lungs. His meows were so loud and prolonged that you could faintly hear them when you exited the facility, and it didn't stop there. He talked and talked the entire car ride home and he kept talking his entire life! Anyone who has met him knows how extremely friendly he was, there were points where I would get phone calls of people asking me to pick him up from their houses because would somehow sneak in and make himself at home. I'm pretty sure that if he wasn't chipped and didn't have a collar, he would've been adopted as soon as he stepped foot, or paw, outside. Apollo was a bit on the chubbier side, hence why I would call him "Fat Boy". I never meant it in a harmful way, it was something funny I would call him while squeezing his chubby belly. His chubbiness was definitely an advantage for him though, he was the warmest cuddle buddy. Apollo also LOVED seedless watermelon, he would go nuts for it every time I bought some, he would never actually eat the watermelon though, he'd just lick the juice out and leave these sad little dried out watermelon pieces, he loved food as much as he loved his cat and dog companions. Apollo absolutely loved wrestling with our kitten Nova and spending quiet time with our elderly cat Mooshka. Our dog Nym, who has since passed away in 2022, was the light of his life. They did everything together, from sleeping on the same bed and drinking from the same water bowl, they were inseparable and I know for a fact Apollo was devastated about her passing. I just hope they both are frolicking in whatever afterlife there is together. Although Apollo had many ups in his life, unfortunately he had quite a few downs too. At 5 years old he had to have a few surgeries due to not being able to urinate properly which is actually very common in male orange cats. Despite being put under so much stress and pain, he still managed to keep up that friendly face that everyone loved. He was strong and was able to pull through and get his infections treated. After he healed, he was reunited with his happy place, the outdoors which unfortunately was the reason he is no longer here today. In early November of 2023, Apollo had been struck by a speeding vehicle in our apartment complex. Our complex has a speed limit of a literal walking speed, so it's very hard to believe the hit was really an accident, but we will never really know who did it or what happened, only Apollo and the driver themselves know the full story. I miss him every single day and I hope whoever reads this enjoys knowing a little about the one cat who changed my life for the better.