Sometimes I'm Really Dense

Here I am a professional chef and I omit Beryl's favorite foods from my memory of him:

• He loved chips with medium hot salsa, with or without cheese. He would even eat a couple of corn chips with nothing on them- yes he was a strange and wonderful cat.
• Popcorn with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, tamari and pepper was another favorite.
• The last of ice cream clinging to the pint of a premium brand container Amberwind and I had just finished. He would shove his whole head into it and wear the container for a chance at the bit on the bottom. Then he would cleverly get it off when he was through.
• Any cheese, and I mean any cheese, ever made- untrue of our other cats.

He would barely eat catnip, but preferred to roll in it; unlike Topaz who seemed like a reincarnated Deadhead when it came to his kitty drugs. And when Sapphire came into the house, he could push Beryl, who was very non-aggressive away from his bowl. (But then Sapphire had shown up at our door starving- with his ribs showing- dehydrated and needing pets- what we call skin-food.) Beryl hardly hissed and the few times he did was usually because he was in pain. You could pet him for hours and he'd still want more- unlike any other cat I've ever known. And he'd sit in Amberwind's lap- he slept with me but only occasionally sat in my lap and only when I had fabric on- for hours.

I only wish that everyone gets a chance to have such an affectionate, smart, wise and occasionally annoying critter like him in their lives.