What were you up to in 2003? Howard and me were dating at the time, so 2003 is a year I still remember. It’s a long time, but two decades are a lot of years in any life. Twenty years is five more years than the average cat’s lifespan. Tazz was born in 2003 probably around this time of year…kitten season…when most felines come into the world. In the spring of this year, his owners decided he had grown too old. They took him to a veterinarian to be put down. Thankfully, this did not happen.

This is what happened instead: the compassionate people in an animal hospital in Miami realized this sweet old man didn’t deserve to die. When I heard about him, I brought him to stay with Howard and me — and our resident cats and rabbits — until we return to New York in mid-May. Tazz does not need the stress of air travel (he’s successfully fighting an upper respiratory infection at the moment), so when I leave, I’ll hand him over to my fellow rescue partner and good friend Kelly, who will continue to care for and love him until we find him a forever home. Kelly will soon take over his IG. We already created one for him. @tazzconqueso).

Howard and I both fell in love…