Post by CatCreature on Apr 6, 2020 5:04:06 GMT -5
On different years, but both in April...my dog Madison, my best friend in the world, passed away...as did Bongo, a young cat who was born in our house, was very young (barely a year old) who suddenly developed a grave illness that took us all by surprise.
But today...one more got added to the list of April death dates.
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A few years ago, on Halloween, my sister was at a party at her school. Her friends saw a cat trying to find food in a dumpster, she called him over and fed him. We drove down there and picked him up, took him home, and that was it. Juniper was already old when we got him, and had a few issues. Such as a thyroid problem, making him always thin and more often hungry than he should be. We fed him plenty...oh boy did we feed him. He was always hungry so I always fed him. Anything I could think of that wouldn't hurt him, I'd share with him.
We bonded over that. Though, I think we also bonded that first night he stayed in the house. He was naturally a little spooked by being in a new place with people he didn't know, so I remember that first night...I sat up with him for hours, holding him and playing a Youtube video of peaceful piano music to calm him while he slept. After that, he always seemed to like those kinds of songs, and if he slept in my room, I'd put on more for him...and he always jumped awake if it stopped. xD
He was very irritable. He hated other animals in his space, always hitting them, always causing trouble...so between that and the skinniness, the Alley Cat in Petz really suits him. xD I learned he didn't like to go outside after we took him in. I tried taking him on a walk after he'd lived with us for some time, and he was SO scared and refused to leave the front door. Even when he went to the vet and came back, he always came out of his carrier slowly, and very slowly walked alllll around the house, as if calming himself by saying "It's still here...everything is still here...I'm safe..." so I always fed him some more to calm him. He knew he had it good, he was scared of losing it and being back to fending for himself.
Some of you might not like this, but...one of my favorite dinners (and one of the few I can make) is lasagna...nothing fancy, just cheese, noodles and sauce. But Juniper -loved- it. He would beg for the cheese when I grated it, and he would sit by the oven while it cooked, and would go NUTS when it was done. I couldn't resist giving him his own plate with a small sample. Not a lot, but more than a lick. He devoured it every time. He loved lasagna as much as I did, and it was a funny thing to see how he would wait for it for so long...he knew what it was and he had to have it!
Another funny memory of mine is when he was walking through the kitchen while mom was preparing fish...she accidentally dropped a -whole- fish (well, you know, the meat slabs of fish you buy at the store) on the floor...and it landed right in front of him as he was walking. He literally stopped dead, and just stared, and you could just see the complete and utter disbelief...that a fish would just fall from the Heavens in front of him! As soon as he snapped out of it, he grabbed the fish and ran. xDDDD It was way too much, so we had to take most of it away, but he still got some because it was too sad not to let him have a piece of his once-in-a-lifetime miracle.
He often had to wear sweaters when he got cold, and he always looked fabulous. xD He liked sleeping on counters, where he's not supposed to be, he would get into the trash, into any bags of food that were left out...he was a handful, but such a character. And he loved to talk.
I bonded with him on such a deep level, and just...I can't believe he's gone. He slipped away in his sleep, and was just gone when I awoke this morning. He hadn't been feeling well lately, but...I thought he was doing better. It sucks to think he's actually going to pull through and get better, only for him to pass away instead.
I miss him so much. He was a grumpy, mangy, old alley cat who was nothing but trouble...but I loved him like crazy and I wish we had more time together. The only comfort in all of this is knowing that he's feeling young and good, and no doubt attending the biggest all-you-can-eat buffet Heaven has to offer. Finally living the dream of eating everything his heart desires. xD He'll be so young and different looking...I probably won't recognize him when we meet again someday.
Anyway yeah, I'm sorry for the depressing thread...but sometimes it's good to get it out when it hurts. I'm done with April now. I don't want to think about these losses anymore.