Bunny was our first pet. My mom didn’t allow pets when we were growing up, and one day my brother just came home with a kitty in a box without asking for mom’s permission. I named him Bunny. Bunny soon became the boss in our house, the center of our universe. He grew up fast, always followed either one of us, slept in our lap and our bed, hung out with cats in the neighborhood. In the morning I would wake up finding him curling in our sock container, picked him up and hugged him until he ran away.

All of a sudden, Bunny was gone for a week. We couldn’t find him anywhere. That’s the downside of having a garden and leaving our doors and windows open. The cat can’t be an indoor cat. He came back one night, when I was having a tutoring session at home, meowing so loudly. We thought we would protect him forever, and he won’t go anywhere else.

Not long after that, Bunny went missing. Sadly in Vietnam, there are still cat restaurants, and thief goes around to steal pets. It’s something hard to imagine, but it happens. Bunny, our first pet, our most beloved one, left us and we didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. During his year staying at our house, there was a stray cat that came and hung out often in our garden. The stray cat, which we named Bunny’s girlfriend, stayed after Bunny left. She has then gave birth to many kitties, some we gave away to friends and relatives, some we lost again, some were stolen in front of our eyes.

This month, Bunny’s girlfriend gave birth to four cotton-white kittens. They are all still nursing when one morning my parents found them dead in our garden, most likely from eating bait. Bunny’s girlfriend is now gone, with three of her babies. One baby survived and is now staying with us, and I beg my parents to at least keep her in the house at night. My heart aches.

Bunny, wherever you are now, I’m glad that you will get to see your girlfriend and her three babies. You are not alone anymore. You guys are together now. Forever. I miss you and love you so much. I hope you know.