3 posts tagged “cats”

For our first year anniversary (in 2001), I got two cats for Steph.  Both were just barely weaned, and oddly enough, they bonded with me and totally got under my skin even though I was mostly an anti-cat guy up to that point.  Their personalities couldn't have been more different.  Oreo is a "dog in a cat's body" (I even taught him to "speak" on command).  Brewster (our orange tabby) is shy and skittish, but super affectionate and probably the sweetest cat I've ever met.  They both grew up together in our home, and our friends are always amazed at how people-friendly they are.
Unfortunately, I missed some signs that could have warned me that Brewster was having liver and kidney issues in the last few weeks.  By the time we'd realized, things had progressed so far, and there was no guarantee that even surgery would give him a chance.  All that led up to today, where I had to make the heart-wrenching decision to have him put to sleep.  I've owned four pets in my life, but this is the first one I was with when it died - and boy did I cry like a baby.  I snuck him one of his favorite treats and gave it to him while I held him a minute or so before he feel asleep for the last time.  The bond between human and pet is an amazing thing - but times like it now it really sucks.  I will miss that cat and all his crazy quirks - from the fountain of drool that would come out his mouth as you petted him, to the hilarious image of him trying to jump up onto our bed and haul his very large butt up without falling.  He had a good eight years with us, and as much that I hate it that he's gone, I'm glad his last moments were with me.

Brewster in a nutshell:

Oreo's best friend:

Able to sleep in nearly any position:

He never quite knew what to think of James:

He definitely didn't exercise enough (we tried!) - and so there was "more" of him to love:

An all around handsome guy (even when he was near the end):

So...it was a normal Saturday evening.  Steph and I were getting ready for bed and chatting away.  I lay down and it hits me...this awful indescribable odor stench - the kind that elicits involuntary facial expressions and potential gag reflexes.  Not wanting to appear rude to my dear wife, who is still chatting away, I begin my attempt to discretely locate the source of the 'evil miasma'.

The first thought (of any man especially) is 'Oh, no!  Is that ME?!'  Feigning a stretch, I smelled my shirt and was quickly relieved to discover that I was not the culprit.  I then begin adjusting my pillows and smell them - nope not the pillows. 

By this time Steph had laid down in bed as well and was beginning to be suspicious of my "fidgeting".  Finally I couldn't contain it...."WHAT is that smell??"  "I don't smell anything" came her response.  By this point I feel as if I'm going to suffocate a horrible death, decompose and become a star in whatever nebula was forming in our bedroom. 

My mind was racing through all the possible causes, but nothing seemed to account for the type of smell that it was.  Finally, Steph stops in mid-sentence.  "I smell it now".  And I know somewhere in there was the initial thought of probably every wife - "Could HE be the culprit?!"  So here we are...beginning to smell everything in the room - we check the comforter, the pillows again, our clothes...you name it.  Finally, the smell seemed to have faded.  I lay back down....and it hit me like a brick again.  I lean over and smell the mattress and almost passed out from sheer agony.  My head spinning, my nose burning...was that heartburn starting?  I realized what it was and immediately the anger rose up....blood boiling & veins popping out on my forehead.  Those @#$#% darn cats. 

They had taken it upon themselves to pee on my side of the bed.  That was it.  The line had been crossed....no, the Rubicon had been crossed.  This was war.  You see, prior to 2001, the only good cat (in my opinion) was a dead cat.  Yes - I know that sounds extreme, but I hated cats.  Then we got Oreo and Brewster and I loved cats.  We would even let them sleep on the bed with us.  No more.  They've been exiled....cast out of heaven....sent to the outer darkness where there's weeping (well...meowing, really) and gnashing of teeth...pet paradise lost.

At this point, their fate remains uncertain.  While I'm sure this occurred because I was out of town, and they were 'stressed' from my absence...that's just creepy.  Odious urination is the feline expression of "absence makes the heart grow fonder"?!  Don't know how you'd feel, but I'm pissed.

Inspired by Janette's GREAT picture of her daughter and her cat....

WHY CATS ARE COOL....

They like to play with the little humans:

They appreciate the finer points of emptying the trash and doing the laundry:

They sleep in positions humans never would think of:

And maybe a few some humans would think of:

They really don't take kindly to having their sleep disturbed for someone else's amusement:

They have a talent for always trying to get your attention:

They appreciate music and technology (or maybe just laying on musical instruments and their cases):

 They know how to be good friends:

And - last but not least - they sometimes help clean the bathroom!