Make-A-Wish party for three-year-old cancer survivor was the cat's meow

SMILES ALL AROUND; Sitting with his mom, Jessica, Julian Gordon. 3. gets a kick out of watching the antics of a six-foot alligator during a Make-A-Wish celebration on Thursday (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - Julian Gordon of Rochester wanted a Maine Coon Cat, and he got it on Thursday.
The celebration of the three-year-old's successful battle with cancer came to fruition at Wildlife Encounters of Rochester, which hosted a Make-A-Wish event for Julian, his parents and extended family and friends.
But Julian got much more than the Maine Coon Cat. A table festooned with decorations for the special day was also laden with dozens of wrapped presents for Julian to open.

Wildlife Encounters Director Derek Small presents Julian with his very own Maine Coon Cat, which in this photo is about to get his very first pet from his new owner.

One they couldn't wrap, however, was a motorized four-wheeler that Julian reveled in showing off to siblings.
The gala event began when Julian and his parents arrived in a stretch limo provided by Great Bay Limousine of Portsmouth.
Derek Small, founder and director of Wildlife Encounters, then gave the group of about 30 a tour of his Charles Street property, which houses dozens of animals, including alligators, foxes, and wallabies, a relative of the Australian kangaroo.

Julian Gordon, 3, checks out the interior of his new ride on Thursday at Wildlife Encounters

Jessica Gordon, Julian's mom, said he's said for a long time that he wanted a Maine Coon Cat.
"This means everything to us," she said as she looked around at her son running around outside the cage of a wallaby, who also was running to and fro mimicking the moves of Julian.
Jessica Gordon said he'd been in remission since March of last year.
As for Julian, you'd never know he had to battle such an illness. He had the energy and spunk of a typical three-year-old.
Make-A-Wish volunteer Kristen Trueworthy said the nonprofit was thrilled to sponsor the event.
"We wish them all the best, we were thrilled to do this," she said.