Benji, Our Very Cool Cat, by Elizabeth Ravn

Animals have always been important members of our family, both in Norway and the U.S. We’ve had many dogs and cats over the years, in addition to frogs, turtles, fish, snakes, and even a baby seagull whom we raised, taught how to fly, and released back into the wild. Each has been special in his or her own way, but Benji definitely stood out from the crowd. He was a superstar and he knew it.

Benji Comes Into Our Lives

It was 2008 and we had just lost two cats in a row. We were mourning their loss when one of my colleagues, who volunteered at a rescue organization, suggested I foster a cat that had just been operated on and needed a place to recover. He was a handsome fellow with soft grey fur and he reminded me of the cats we had recently lost. The minute I laid eyes on him, I felt like I knew him and he seemed to feel the same way. As soon as he came out of his cage, he walked right into my arms. Even though he had been very ill, when I drove him home and opened the door, he sauntered in as if he had always been there.

As soon as he arrived, Benji became the boss of the house. Supremely confident, friendly, secure, and comfortable in just about every situation, he accepted our animal family with grace, coexisting peacefully with our large dogs Stella (a large pit bull/lab mix found on a beach and rescued by a good Samaritan who became the mother to all of our other animals), Mia (a lovely dog who was black with short legs and a wonderful personality), Timmy Tickle (a street dog terrier rescued in Shanghai), two rescue kittens (Max and Mortimer), plus my son’s menagerie of very large dogs whenever they came to visit.

Benji greeted new visitors with warmth and curiosity and they all respected him. He was “top dog” and he knew it. My work colleagues said, “You must give him an American name,” so we called him Benjamin Franklin (Benji for short).

Mikey Joins the Clan

One day my son came home from work and brought in a baby bird. Maybe 24 hours old, it had fallen out of its nest and broken its leg. “Mom, we have to take care of him, his name is Mikey,” he said. And of course, we did.

At the time, my daughter was in vet school, so we had Benji plus her dog Mia and now a baby bird. We had a house rule that Mikey had to stay in the bathroom and the door was always closed. That worked well for a while until one day it was accidentally left open. We all panicked and ran in to investigate, only to find Benji sleeping peacefully next to the bird’s box. He somehow understood that Mikey was a valued member of the family and was watching over him. Over the weeks that followed, Mikey got bigger and stronger and eventually flew away. My son and I loved raising him, taking care of him, even Benji loved him, and when the time was right, we joyfully sent him on his way.

Traveling from Norway to Our New Home

Mia was 12 years old when I sent her to live with Emilie, who had moved to the states. Using special animal transport, Mia flew from Norway to Denmark, was picked up at the airport by veterinary care, evaluated, cleared, and put on the flight to California. We did the same thing with Bengi, sending him on the same trip, and I followed a few weeks later.

When Emilie picked Benji up at the San Francisco Airport, he strolled out of his cage, looked around all calm and collected, and just sauntered over to her ─ again proving that nothing really phased him. Where most cats are fearful in new situations, Benji always seemed to be up for anything.

Saying Goodbye

It felt like Benji would be a constant and loving presence in our lives forever, but sadly that was not to be. Benji was well one day and quite ill the next. We shed many tears when he suddenly left us earlier this year at the ripe old age of 19. We still miss him every day, but life goes on, with Emilie’s new kittens keeping us distracted with their soft purrs and humorous antics.

When I retired, my boss gave me a little farewell speech and said, “One of the things we know about you, Elizabeth, is that you LOVE animals.”  

Totally true, and I think that was the best compliment she could have given me.