The Cat Who Woke Me Up

Not long after I started working at The Sun, my dog Toby suffered a serious stroke. He couldn’t move very well and was unable to feed himself or even drink water. My wife and I took off work in those first few days, but we knew our time caring for Toby was limited—we’d have to figure something out.

When I told The Sun’s founder and editor, Sy Safransky, about my predicament, he seemed puzzled. “Why wouldn’t you just bring him to the office?” he asked. Having previously worked a shirt-and-tie cubicle job, I hadn’t even thought of that as an option.

That’s just what I did. Every morning, Sy would check in on Toby before heading upstairs to his desk. Eventually Toby was able to eat and drink on his own—in fact, his first sips not taken by me sticking a syringe in his mouth were in my Sun office.

Thankfully the effects of Toby’s stroke were not permanent. The effect of Sy’s offer on me, however, was. At the time, I hadn’t heard the story of his relationship with his cat Cirrus, relayed in his essay in this month’s issue, “The Cat Who Woke Me Up.” But now that I have, his allowing me to bring my ailing dog to work with me is much less surprising. Pets are a part of our families, after all, and Sy knows this as well as anyone. In fact, our connections with them are often so profound as to be difficult to describe. But that’s just what Sy does in this marvelous piece. I encourage you to read it—and to know the kindness and generosity of the guy who penned it.

We’re delighted that this piece was chosen as a top 5 selection for the Longreads Roundup. Watch the video below to hear an excerpt read by Sun editor and publisher Rob Bowers. Piano played by Sy, and video featuring cats from Sun staff, friends, and family.

Derek Askey, Associate editor