What is your favorite memory of a pet long gone?

[hunter]

33. I have so many. Pets who were memorable because they were good, and pets who were horrible.

When my grandma retired she became even crazier than she usually was. My grandma could be really mean and fought off the police and paramedics cussing, biting, kicking, and hitting when she had to be removed from the home she owned as a danger to herself and others.

People were afraid of my grandma. She'd size them up and frequently say the nastiest soul-crushing thing she could possibly say about them. Her "good grandma" days were very rare. I was lucky enough to experience a few. My younger siblings don't remember any good times with her, just the times she wasn't entirely awful.

Her cat was just like her. It was a match made in hell.

My grandma had a good pension and could afford nice assisted living places but she never lasted long in them. She never lasted long at my parent's house either, even though she'd taken over the master bedroom in my parent's best efforts to appease her.

Unfortunately most assisted living places didn't allow pets, evil cats especially.

Therefore the cat ended up protecting my grandma's room, patiently awaiting my grandma's inevitable return every time she moved away in a fit of anger. Yes, the cat got the master bedroom all to herself, threatening anyone who entered until my grandma was inevitably evicted from whatever assisted living place she'd gone sour on. Everything would be fine for a few months, grandma would be friendly, her cat would be friendly, and then the cycle would repeat.

One time my grandma was away and I was fixing a dripping faucet in the master bathroom and that cat tried to rip my face off. I still have scars. But physical scars are easy. The crazy grandma scars took a little longer to heal. Good thing I can laugh about it all now.

My mom made us promise that if she ever turned into my grandma to throw her into a volcano or something.

Fortunately my mom's not like that, and her pets, although a bit wild, are nothing like my grandma's cat.