Ming Yariz

When I found Ming in the laundry room meowing for food back in June 2009, I didn't realize that he would not stop meowing for the rest of his life. He was a malnourished 2 month old kitten back then. My then 6 months old Onyx welcomed him quickly as you will see in the pictures. Ming was so smart. He would know how to open doors (even with round knobs) and drawers. He was super curious (duh!). He learned how to pee in the toilet and continued to do that whenever he wished. He created his own games, jumped and ran around obstacles he determined. Such a vocal range he had. He made voices that I never heard from the other cats. Of course, he could be very annoying as he would not stop meowing. He would want to go out and he was an escape artist. Almost all of my ex-girlfriends tried to get rid of him. No shoes, carpets, sofas, computer chairs, futons or blinds were safe. He would scratch anything and everything, even with multitude of scratch posts in the house. He lessened that habit of his in his later years, but he did enough damage by then. He also loved to eat plastic tapes and wraps and that caused a lot of vomiting in the house. I always thought he was unadoptable. Even in my hard times, I couldn't bear the thought of giving him away. I knew people would have a hard time to keep him around and he would be returned. I even thought to send him to Cat House on The Kings, but, maybe luckily, I couldn't afford it. He had very un-cat-like behaviors also. He would walk right in the cat carrier to go to the vet. He loved cat carriers. He wouldn't make a peep when I cut his nails. He even traveled with me in flights. He wasn't a lap cat but when he wanted he would come next to you and push his body towards you and stay there for a long time. You would feel his warmth. He especially did that when I was in my sad times, and for that I will be forever grateful. Now, the apartment is extremely quiet, He was the dynamo who brought life here. I didn't realize how integral he was in this place. Onyx and I mourn deeply. He was 1/3 of the family and left us so unexpectedly (and early, at least for me). I will always love you, my smart troublemaker. You were one of a kind.

Ming Yariz

June 9, 2024