Jasper arrived in 2015, as a stray looking for a home. He was afraid at first, and would run away any time we went outside to feed him. Gradually, he learned to trust us, but we could not convince him to come inside. We did everything we could to make him comfortable on the porch. One day, we decided we had had enough, and after we gave Jasper his breakfast, we picked him up and brought him inside.

He was the sweetest and most affectionate cat. His favorite thing to do would be to curl up next to one of his people, with his chin on their hand. His other favorite thing to do was put face directly in someone’s face. He also liked to stand directly on someone’s chest and sleep on top of people, or right next to them on the pillow. He always got along with his roommates. He would wait for me by the door when I came home from work, and when I left in the morning, he always had a look on his face as if he didn’t think I would be back.

Jasper tested positive for FIV, and he lived very happily and healthily until July of 2019, when he became ill, and he was diagnosed with lymphoma in August. He fought very bravely. On his last day with me on March 11, 2021, even though he had been having trouble breathing and was slowly getting worse, he hopped up on the bed where I was sitting and sat with me and purred. I will never forget this happy, kind, loving, and gentle cat, who only wanted to love everyone and be loved.