Bud

From out of nowhere

the patchy black and white tabby

showed up at the house,

meowing pitifully.

Once fed,

it never left.

Mom allowed the cat to stay,

but it had to remain outside.

I named it "Bud."

He was my buddy

and a cool cat.

He loved to weave

between your legs,

pitching his spine

like a roller coaster.

Dad liked Bud

because he was

a superb mouse catcher;

everybody liked Bud.

One day Bud

gave us a big surprise.

Bud had a litter of kittens!

In spite of her rat-catching skills,

my parents were not thrilled

that Bud turned out to be a female.

Upon weaning,

all the kittens were ordered

to be given away.

People were often curious

as to why we named

the mama cat, "Bud"...?

The next revelation from Bud

emerged with her next litter.

She was a kitten factory.

Every stray tom

in the neighborhood

was attracted to Bud,

and I never understood

what all the toms

saw in Bud.

Sure,

she was sleek and slender

but nothing fancy to look at.

Bud must have understood

the scent of a woman

and how to sashay her tail

to lure a man.

Bud finally passed away

but not before leaving

a budding legacy

around the neighborhood.