My soulmate cat, Max, chose me at the Chicago AntiCruelty Society in 1987. He and his kitten siblings had been abandoned with their very young mom in an apartment. When he saw me he jumped up, meowing and frantically pushing his legs through the bars of his cage toward me.

From the beginning he was an affectionate guy and he loved to have the top of his head kissed. For all his life he’d present his head for kisses any time he was in my lap or my arms.

Jump forward 10 years. We were living in a small apartment attached to the side of Nine Gates Mystery School founder Gay Luce’s home in Corte Madera, CA. Gay had 3 kittens she’d brought home a while after her cat died. My place was always open, Gay was out of town a lot and the kittens soon thought my place was part of home.

One of the 3, Gandhi, adored Max (NOT reciprocated). The house was on a hill and there was an outside path I took down to the basement to do laundry. The path passed a tiered garden with a short retaining wall at the bottom, alongside the path (that’s Max in my arms near a different garden wall in the yard). Often when I did laundry Max would jump up on the wall and wait for me to stop and kiss his head.

Gandhi watched and pretty soon, if Max wasn’t there waiting for me to come back from the basement, Gandhi was and he wanted that kiss on the head. By a few years later, after I’d moved away, on a cat sitting visit it turned out Gandhi had expanded it to jump on the kitchen counter and present his head for kissing to any loved one nearby.

A few years later Max died and then Salty came into my life. He was 3 and had been abandoned but such an affectionate little guy. Being accustomed to 18 years of kissing Max’s head, I kissed his. He loved it so much he was soon presenting his head for kisses. I could say “gimme kiss” and he’d put his head to my mouth.

Salty stayed with me for 18 blessed years, passing away in 2024. Now I’m fostering 15-year-old Tucksie for the local shelter. He’s afraid and slow to warm up and, I think, still waiting for his original person to come for him. Slowly, tho, he’s letting me come near and accepting scritches. Initially he cowered from my tendency to lean over and kiss his head. But now he’s occasionally presenting the top of his head near my mouth 🙂

I feel Max’s presence through all these kitties loving kisses on the head. My sweet soulmate cat’s lovely soul still offering blessings.