Sam, one of the cats I grew up with, passed away a several years ago. He always loved toxic things, especially the hibiscus plant. Our family, of course, always made sure house plants were out of the reach of a certain chemical loving orange cat, but he still wanted a taste, haha! When he passed, the plant started to wither, and after a while we still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Pumba, our other cat, would run up to the plant, wild look in his eyes, and stare up into the branches for some time afterwords. We joked around that Sam was in the branches, ecstatically eating the life force of the plant that he was never able to have in life!

One night, before bed, I saw a skinny cat shape standing in the kitchen. I thought "it's just Sam, night Sammy." Logic kicked in, reminded me that Sam had passed and that Pumba was sleeping in the other room. I didn't think much of it until I got home from work the next day and noticed the hibiscus had several huge blooms. Immediately afterwords, the plant perked up, and Pumba no longer gazed into the branches.

Each time the plant blooms, it makes me think of Sam. Since Sam was primarily attached to my brother, this one is really for my brother, I gave him a matted print for Christmas. He doesn't really... react to gifts, but he did have a bit of a smile when he opened it. That's usually a good sign... if nothing else I know his wife will enjoy and appreciate it xD