By Jennifer Troyan (Jorge’s Mama)

You may or may not know that Jorge the cat passed away on Monday, February 20, 2023. It has been devastating and my grief comes and goes in waves. I am sharing this tribute to him, to honor him and to help me heal a little bit. I will continue with the regular monthly blog after this one

This time, the experience of the death of a pet was different. I know more now than I did with other pets, so I handled everything differently with Jorge. This contributed to me helping him live a fantastic life filled with adventure plus tons of love for the both of us!

Jorge has touched a lot of people and it has been a great pleasure to share him along with what I have observed and learned from watching him. We had a very strong connection and we understood each other. He brought me a considerable amount of love and joy for which I am appreciative!

Now for the hard part. I found out that Jorge had cancer. It was sudden and quick. While it is heartbreaking, I am grateful it was quick and relatively pain-free. My prayer was always that he would not suffer much when his time came. I believe that I was able to keep him comfortable during his final days. I was in total shock and kept saying, “I thought we would have more time together.”

I envisioned many more years together, but that was not for me to say, as I now know. I have been shifting to gratitude for the time we got to spend together. A stellar gift!

I talked to him about preparing for death and shared my thoughts on what might come, and hope it helped him and set him at ease. I thanked him for sharing so much of himself with me. I know his sweet soul may have changed form, yet he lives on in some way (most certainly through this blog).

A wish coming true

I can’t talk about Jorge without sharing the beginning of our story together. This is one of my favorite stories! We found each other on June 6, 2014, and were together for 7 years and 8 months.

A friend of mine was asking me if I wanted a kitten, and I knew that would not work for my lifestyle. I told her I needed a day to think about it. I was contemplating as I was getting ready for work the next day. Looking in my bathroom mirror and thinking, “What do I want in a cat?”

I had a Siamese cat previously, and I really like the breed. To me, they are really smart, have a great memory, and are usually pretty vocal. I wanted a cat that has blue or green eyes and one that is maybe a couple of years old, or at least house-trained. Since I can only have one cat, I wanted one that needs to be in a pet home. Long-haired too! Also, I’d really like a cat that is really sweet and affectionate. I had been thinking about my wish list for a cat for a while but never said anything to anyone because I wasn’t ready.

I picked up my phone to tell my friend that a kitten is not the best option but keep your eyes open for… and ping! There’s a text from her holding up this cat. She simply wrote, how about this guy??

I looked at the picture and I didn’t breathe for a second. “Are you freaking kidding me?? That is the cat I have dreamed of!!” I was stunned and my heart was racing! He literally checked every box on my “next cat wish list.”

I knew what had happened. My wish came true for the cat I wanted! He is the sweetest, most loving cat and his name is Jorge (he picked his name by the way!). It suits his spectacular personality.

He far exceeded my expectations. Besides the immediate side effect of getting the cat, it opened my mind to the possibility of seeing what I have heard so many teachers express – all the universe conspires to help you. How did my wish come true?

A personal reflection

About my wish coming true; Personally, I think it is because my heart was pure, and I had no attachment to the outcome. I knew the right cat would appear at the right time, so I didn’t fret about it. I put it ‘out there’ and let it go. While I spent months thinking about what I wanted, the moment I was truly ready to receive the new cat, he appeared!

I learned that you will not get what you are not ready to receive. And, there is something to learn from every situation. Pretty much every single day, I held Jorge and thanked him for sharing his life with me. We shared a mutually beneficial relationship. Isn’t that sweet?

So many teachers have told me that you will look back at some point and see that things happened for you beyond your wildest dreams and expectations. Things that you couldn’t have even imagined for yourself. What a great first lesson from this precious, precious being!

I chose to share this story, because it speaks of possibility, hope, magic, connection, and love!

I love Jorge so much and am still in awe of our time together. I know he will continue to teach me things. As a kind person recently told me, “He will live on in our hearts.” Thank you, Kika! It brings me comfort to think of this.

Thank you to this global community for your kindness and support. I am very touched by knowing Jorge reached many people around the world!

Many of you have shared that his adventures and lessons have inspired you, caused you to think or feel something, or that he simply brought joy and inspiration. I will keep giving his stories as there is so much more to say and share.

Being able to share Jorge is a highlight of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Jorge really loved nature, and if you want to do something, then plant a tree!

I know I will be thinking of Jorge, sitting under a tree, enjoying the shade, and rolling around in its leaves on the ground. This makes me smile.

Love and light to everyone!