My cat Otis is twenty years old. Yes, twenty. He's lived an extremely long and happy life. My parents gave him to me when I graduated college and he's been with me through some really rough times, as well as the great times. In fact, he's been there for me more than anyone. When Otis turned twenty, I decided to have a party for him. It was so fun and interesting, I want to share it with you.

Otis approves of my best friends. It started out as just a joke, but he's never been wrong. I could tell who he didn't like if he refused to let them pet him. Without fail, he'd pick the good ones at first site. He's even helped some of my friends choosing boyfriends and girlfriends based on his reaction to them.So, I called up everyone who had asked Otis' for his opinion and invited them to his twentieth birthday. I asked them to jot down how Otis helped them and to bring a picture of him if they had one.

It wasn't surprising ten people showed up. Some even brought their pets who were friends of Otis', too. There was tuna in spring water for the cats and chicken and rice for the dogs. I made ginger beef with in my wok and lots of white rice for the humans. There was juice, Sebastiani wine and Corona beer to drink.

After dinner, everyone went into the living room where I presented Otis with a brand new, fluffy pillow, which he immediately climbed onto and flopped down. Comfortable pillows mean a lot to him since he doesn't get around to easily any more. Then, one by one, everyone started telling a funny or sentimental story about Otis the cat. June, one of my long-time friends, told about a guy she brought over that Otis practically chased out of the house. That was the first time he'd actually been aggressive towards anyone or anything. June decided such a spectacular demonstration of Otis' dislike should be taken seriously so she broke up with him and a few weeks later she found out the guy was married! Randy, my neighbor and friend, remembered the time Otis was out in the front yard when a lady's car broke down in front of my house. Otis climbed Randy's fence and, meowed until Randy came out. Otis sat on the porch watching as Randy helped the lady jump-start her car. Otis purred like a motorboat when she petted him. That was how Randy met Laura, who later became his wife. He had even sent a wedding invitation addressed to me and Otis.

Some people had brought pictures of Otis, or pictures of people with Otis sitting on the lawn, on the porch, the coffee table or on someone's lap. Whenever there was a camera around Otis is sure to show himself. He is such a ham and it is hard not to see why. All his life everyone has told me what a beautiful cat he is. We pasted the pictures into a collage and framed it. I hung the picture on the wall over his new pillow.

Everyone brought Otis a present including bell toys, a new brush and his favorite brand gourmet food. Everyone loves him. I served a birthday cake with cream cheese frosting and let Otis have a few tastes of the frosting

Everyone watched some home movies of Otis on video. I brought a few tapes to an editor who spliced the parts Otis was in and made them into a little tribute, with background music and my voice narrating. Of course, Otis fell asleep during the movie, but the rest of us enjoyed it.

After the movie people began saying their good-byes. I think Otis appreciated seeing everyone again. All of his animal friends were very happy to see him and a human was always petting him.

I was happy everyone had a chance to show their appreciation to Otis for all the times Otis had shown his good sense and loyalty over the years.