It has now been two years since the passing of Sachi, our Cockapoo/Maltese mixed dog. His name means Lucky and he had 17 wonderful years of life. In his younger days, he would always chase this young, female yellow-striped cat from our backyard. I think the young cat did this on purpose to irritate Sachi because we would always see the cat on the brick wall looking down at our dog while Sachi continued barking at her. After awhile, he would get tired and walk away from the wall, wagging his tail proud that he kept an intruder away from his backyard. As Sachi became older and infirm to the point that he could no longer stand or walk by himself, I built a mobile wheelchair for him so that he can get around in the backyard which he loved so much. One day we were eating dinner at the kitchen table and the yellow-striped cat was on the table near the kitchen table constantly meowing at us. We tried to shoo it away but the cat would not leave and continued to meow loudly. When we went outside to remove the cat, the cat ran to where our dog was. We found the dog had fallen on his side when one of the wheelchair wheels had broken. The cat stood by the dog and kept meowing at us. Fortunately, Sachi the dog was not hurt but could not get up. I fixed the wheelchair wheel and from that time on, the yellow-striped cat never left the dog's side. What an unusual relationship of friendship. As Sachi's eyesight began to diminish, the yellow-striped cat would always come to visit the dog when we put Sachi out to walk around the yard to do his bathroom duties and get some exercise. When Sachi got tired of walking, he could rest on the support provided by the wheelchair. The cat would come and stand next to Sachi so that the dog could rest his head on the cat's back. This strange relationship went on for months whether it was summer or winter, the yellow-striped cat was always there for Sachi. When it came time for Sachi to pass on from this World, I made a promise to him that I would look after his friend, the yellow-striped cat, for as long as she lived. I placed Sachi's old wheelchair in the storage shed in case we ever got another dog in the future. As I was ready to close and lock the shed door, my wife screamed not to close the shed. When I looked to where she was pointing, I saw that yellow-striped cat standing next to the wheelchair, rubbing the frame with her head. My wife started to cry. I don't know if the spirit of our dog was still here for one last goodbye but I left the wheelchair out so that the yellow-striped cat could stay by it's side. We found out that the yellow-striped cat belonged to our neighbor who is in her 90's and no longer able to care for the cat. She asked us if we would mind feeding and caring for the cat. I am terribly allergic to cat hair (and believe me, this cat sheds hair like crazy) but we agreed to care for her cat. We asked our neighbor what is the cat's name and she replied "Cat." My wife has since named the cat Ginger from some story she read by Beatrix Potter(?) about a cat and dog named Ginger and Pickles, respectively. We can't let Ginger into the house because of my allergy but she has a nice, slightly used doghouse to live in and plenty of food, water and love. Ginger still clings next to Sachi's old wheelchair, periodically rubbing her head next to the frame. I made a promise to Sachi the dog and I have kept it. Ginger is here to stay until she finally moves on to meet her best friend, Sachi.