The necklace I purchased is in memory of Simon, the family cat who loved everyone, and who everyone loved. The sweetest cat I've ever known! Anyone could pick him up for a hug, and he would wrap his paws over your shoulders and hug you back. He would comfort me whenever I was ill and take naps with me on the sofa, letting me wrap my arm around him and lay my face in his fur until I felt better.
Simon truly was an incredible cat. A family friend had been scared of cats since childhood, but after an afternoon visit with Simon, insisting he sit on her lap for two hours, she fell in love and adopted her own kitten! Everyone just adored him! My mother moved house when he was six years old, and he sadly managed to escape in all the chaos, but we never gave up hope. My mother said she could feel him living somewhere, for eight years without his comfort, we hoped he had found somewhere safe in that time. I'll never forget the day my mother texted me, "We found Simon" and I couldn't believe it!
He had been found in a feral colony and was fed daily by cat shelter volunteers until he was finally captured and taken to the vets, where they scanned for his chip. My mother had never changed her number just in case, and she was able to go collect him the next day! He was old and fragile after living rough for eight years, but he was home! I let my mother have some time with him before seeing him myself; he had shrunk from the big, strong, glossy, gorgeous cat I'd known to a frail 14-year-old man, but he knew us still. He let us pick him up, and we got the same hugs we used to get; he was still as loving as he always was.
We had him home for around three weeks before he suffered a stroke and passed away in my mother's arms. We will always miss him but will always be grateful for that little bit of time we got to say goodbye. We have his ashes at home in a beautiful wooden box, black and glossy just like his fur. And now my mother can carry him with her always with this beautiful necklace. Thank you so much Hand on Heart for creating this stunning piece and letting my mother carry a little part of our family with her wherever she goes.- Codie
