I was always indifferent to Valentine ’s Day until 14 Feb 2008 when I became a cat owner. I now celebrate the day as a kind of birthday for my cat and an excuse to give him sushi. It’s great to have him around. He calms my nerves, always gives me a reason to smile, and is an enormous support when I’m feeling down.

Khan was born in Vancouver’s West End sometime in 2005. According to my vet he is a Russian Blue and Siamese mix and seems to take after both breeds.

His first owner was a Japanese woman who initially named him “Meow” but later on someone started calling him “Khan” which is short for “Genghis Khan”. His first owner let him walk in and out of her window at will and I assume that he got to know a lot of people who passed by on the sidewalk.

After about a year his owner had to return to Japan and was unable to take him back with her. She gave him to my sister’s neighbour Pat who said he was very sleek, thin and dainty when she first got him.

By 2008 Pat’s life circumstances changed and she needed to find a new home for Khan

I have always been a cat person. I had cats in my house from the time I was a baby but when I moved out on my own I was always moving around and very few of the places I lived allowed pets.
I moved to my present address in 2005 and while the building allowed pets at the time I wasn’t sure how long I was going to stay here. After two years I figured I was here to stay for the long term and decided that it was time to get a cat.
In early 2008 my sister called me to let me know that her neighbour was looking for a home for her cat Khan. She said he was grey, affectionate, and large. So, I went to visit his owner and saw a very relaxed and friendly cat weaving through the furniture.

Pat gave me the low down on what to expect with him: He loved company, could stand up on command for a treat, loved to puke, was definitely a one-cat kind of cat, and was very healthy. Within minutes of meeting him I knew that he was a wonderful cat who would make for a positive addition to my household.

I was right.

It’s true, my carpet is covered in cat barf stains and my computer’s CPU is almost always clogged with grey cat hair but it’s a small price to pay for having such a well-behaved, and snugly cat in my life. He’s worth the damage deposit I’ll never see again!