Truthteller’s Beloved Cat * Open Thread

Every day I think about my little special mutt ” Rachel”, she’s been gone now for over a year, but Rachel was always with me for 14 yrs. until kidney failure set in and the vet advised to put her to sleep.—It broke my heart, she was my little rescue dog ( I found her crying, her head was caught in a chainlink fence and she was slowly choking to death)–We had a good life together for many years, she loved riding in the car, going for walks in the park, and sitting with me in the big chair reading the paper.—My heart is full of love for her forever, Rachel will always be with me….

I adore the red cats — red tabbies — and the red and white.

My current cat red and white cat is a treasure — he’s been across country 4 times — and he travels like a champ. The first couple of days are rough — because he gets car sick.

He loves rest stops — and walks with his best buddy — a dog.

Cats are extraordinarily intelligent. Some Animal behavior researchers claim the of the mammals — only humans, chimps (perhaps Gorillas), and dolphins are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. However, I have two cats who understand mirrors, can recognize themselves in a mirror and can use a mirror to fish out something that has dropped into a recess and can only be seen in the mirror.

I sort of don’t trust people who don’t have pets — or have never been owned by either a cat or dog — (or both).

There is a children’s book — very old — about a yellow cat, called Butterball.

Every cat I see, even on tv is special to me, but I’ve had 2 that are my “kitty soulmates”.
My first one I had in high school, a manx, was with me for 5 years before she got water in her lungs and died. I found her as a kitten, starving & searching for food. She used to sleep on my head and wake me up by purring very loudly in my ear. She was my shadow. And a talker.

My other “kitty soulmate” is the cat I have now. Siamese. I’ve had her for over 11 years. She’s my heart and soul. She loves to run around all over the place. She grunts at other cats, like she’s a dog or something - and she likes to play “fetch”. You can actually see it when she is smiling.

What is weird is that they are both alike in their personalities. Whenever I cry, they would both try to lick my tears off my face. I know that sounds gross, but so does letting your dog lick your face. They both cuddle the same way, they are both talkers, and a lot of little the things. I’m convinced my first cat (manx) sent the 2nd cat (siamese) to me.

We had another cat that was an outside cat. She wouldn’t let you touch her, but she would eat from your hand. I moved away, and hadn’t been to visit in 6 months. She had kittens and moved them when my mother found them. Then after about a month or so, the kittens were never found. We figured a racoon or dog got them - or they got big enough to run off. I came back to visit 6 months later and go outside to call her and she came running up to me meowing at me - walking off, but “telling” me to come with her, so I did. I stopped to pet another cat, and she just sat there meowing at me until I got up and followed her again. She took me straight to her kittens and let me pet her. They were about 1 1/2 to 2 months old. I always knew she loved me, even though she didn’t like to be pet - but that proved it to me.

I have a true story to tell, just in time for Christmas about Chaz, a 17 year old Golden Retriever. Last Christmas, he was very close to death. Our vet had taken a number of tests and said he had no Liver function, no thyroid function, and was in congestive heart failure. At best he gave him two weeks to live. He suggested I put him down. I just wasn’t ready to face that reality and refused. So I took him home all the while hoping for the best. In my heart, I prayed it wouldn’t come over the holidays. I really didn’t think I could handle that.

One week later, on Christmas Eve, my family had arrived from out of town and all was well except for Chaz. He was rapidly going down hill. I was up late that night finishing some last minute holiday baking. It was well past midnight when I finally went to bed but awoke abruptly at 2 am with the sound of Chaz struggling to breathe. This was my biggest fear, he was going to die on Christmas! I became panicked.

I got out of bed, sat on the floor, and held my beloved Chaz in my arms and began to pray. I begged God not to take him. I pleaded with him not to take him tonight of all nights, on Christmas Eve. And if it was his will, would he please heal him. Miraculously, and I do believe it was divine intervention, Chaz was healed that night. In fact, in January I took him back to the vet to be retested. All of Chaz’s tests came back normal. The Vet was so mystified he thought the lab samples had been mixed up. He called me and asked me to bring Chaz back in as there had to be some mistake. I assured the vet I didn’t think that was the case and no further tests were necessary. Every day since then, I look at this sweet animal and realize what I gift I was given. Now, one year has passed and Chaz is still here with us. Yes, he is in frail health, but he’s hanging in there. He’s always been a chow hound so I’ve been feeding him a few more special treats that in the past. (like steak, fresh salmon etc) You can’t discount his will to live and in his case the will to see his next meal. So from Chaz to all my friends on No Quarter we want to wish you all a Blessed Christmas and BTW …. Chaz is dreaming of his Christmas Turkey!

I have been blessed to have had so many wonderful cats from the time I was little. We always had at least one pet, usually more, while I was growing up. We even had a rooster named Igor.

My mother has a feral cat colony in her back yard. They have insulated houses with little porch roofs and paving stones for a walkway.

This is ridiculous.

Lovely cat, Truthteller. When I lost my beloved cat, age 21. I couldn’t do a thing for weeks. He had seen me through so many things. We can’t keep them forever, but we sure can try!

I’ve lost many pets but it’s still worth it. They take a piece of us with them when they go, but they also leave a piece of themselves behind in our hearts, yes?

Comment by Alicia | 2008-12-20 08:30:44
This is ridiculous.

Then go away.

My Raymond - a rescue kitty who came to live with me 2-1/2 years ago - just tested positive for FeLV (feline leukemia virus) and appears to have a tumor in his belly and possibly one in his brain. We have no idea how he got the virus, as he tested negative before he came to me, and he’s been an inside cat since then. I’m torn about what to do. Should I put him through different treatments, knowing that no matter what I do, the cancers will likely always come back? Or do I treat him holistically, with vitamins and herbs and love, and when the time comes let him go gently?

He’s a very special boy, and that’s not just a proud mama talking. Everyone who meets him says the same thing. Who’ll wake me up each morning with a tap-tap-tap on my head? Who’ll drag me away from the computer when I’ve been sitting at it too long, and force me over to the couch so he can curl up between my legs just so? Who’ll be waiting by the front door to greet me each night when I come home? And I’ve never had another kitty who insists I “smush” his food (when the canned food gets too packed down in his dish, he’ll come get me so I can get a spoon and “smush” it back up, nice and fluffy, for him!). And sometimes, he simply won’t eat at all unless I feed him with a spoon. And when he really feels like I haven’t been paying enough attention to him, he’ll go over to his litter box and fling litter across the room, and then sit and watch me while I sweep it up with a very contented look on his face!

I grew up with cats and dogs - my family always had at least 3 big dogs running around the house, plus whatever cats and kittens I found and brought home. And there’s never been one quite as special as my boy Raymond! No matter how much time we have left together, I’ll be forever grateful he was in my life, and when he passes to the other side, I know he’ll still be guiding me.

Thank you for the thread, NQ. Pardon the pun–this is very humane of Larry and Co. Politics is only part of our lives. These creatures great and small are a blessing and a joy. I for one am glad to have a place to acknowledge our families of people and pets. Thank you.

I don’t post here much but am a regular reader. I love this thread.

I extend my sympathies to Truthteller for the loss of his kitteh. I have a special soft spot for orange and white kittehs. I have had two soul-mate cats, both of whom were orange and white males.

The first was Boo (RIP). He would follow me to the corner store and wait outside while I made my purchases. I would stand on the back porch and call his name and he’d come running. Super affectionate cat, who converted a few of my boyfriends (I was in my 20’s) into cat-lovers. Boo died at the age of 16 and I miss him every day.

But now I have Raoul - another orange and white cat. Raoul is freakin’ awesome. I adopted him when he was 5 months old. He was a former stray and had a broken tail, so it had to be amputated. Now he has the cutest stumpy tail! He is now 3-1/2. He follows me around like a dog. He is very manipulative, in a charming way - wakes me up in the middle of the night purring - he’ll nudge my hands till I pet him. Is not a lap cat, but likes to sleep next to me. He’s a one-person cat, who tends to swat at unwanted attention. Everybody in my family loves him b/c he’s so cute (he has an adorable squeaky meow) but he only has eyes for me. He thinks I’m his mommy.

He’s not a brave boy or a graceful boy (when it comes to jumping, he’s had some epic fails) but I love him with all my heart. He’s m’baby.

We had a loving golden lab-St Bernard mix named Blondie who died about 20 years ago. Night before last I dreamt that I returned to the old house we lived in back then, and went into the back yard. To my horror, I saw Blondie there, neglected, starved, and dying. Our animal friends may pass on, but they never leave our souls completely. I hang ornaments on the Christmas tree each year to remember each of our lost pets, but the pain of losing them never stops.

My deepest sympathies, Truthteller.

These stories bring back memories in so many of us about our own non-human family members’ passings.

Me, I thought about that very favorite cat Cali. She graced my life for 17 years. Losing her was losing something so special–I still have her photo by my bedside.

How blessed we are to have such creatures on this earth.

Oh, it makes me think of my daughters cat Simon. We got him at the Humane Society when he was a kitten. We were there looking at the kitties and Simon was the first my daughter saw. He was a manx so didn’t have any tail. I kept trying to get my daughter to choose another kitty that had a tail thinking a manx cat was a bit strange but her mind was made up. So Simon came home with us and looking back, I think him being a Manx was the coolest thing ever. He’d sit on the balcony of our apartment and watch everything going on outside. He got used to being carried by my daughter over her shoulder with his face snuggled into the crook of her neck. He loved to flop down and expose his belly to pretty much any human being that came his way showing how much he trusted people. He disapeared over 3 years ago and is very much missed to this day.

I lost my Orange tabby cat Barney in 2003. He was 16 and he got mouth cancer. I’ve always had cats but Barney was so cool. I had a back injury and when prompted, Barney would come and lay against my back and the pain subsided immediately. We had a special bond and we understood each other. The day that the vet came to the house to put Barney to sleep. I had layed crystals and his favorite flowers, Daphne, all around him and played his favorite native flute music as we waited for the vet. While on my lap the vet proceeded to help Barney cross over while I told Barney to go to the light. We wrapped him in a special spiritual Indian blanket and the vet took Barney’s body to be cremated. I couldn’t breath deeply for many months. Now I have 1 indoor cat, 3 indoor/outdoor cats, and 5 ferals. I didn’t plan this. I’ve gotten good at trapping in my home-made trap and have altered and placed about 3 dozen cats this year alone. When life is stressful and I look into one of those angel faces, I can crack a smile. The country and it’s people may have lost their way with their corruption, but these creatures are still the epitome of innocence and love.
It took about 3 years to finally ‘breath’. The first year was the most difficult but I went out and got Lakshmi cat within days of Barney’s death. That helped lots and we are very close. She has the face of an angel and a disposition to match. Here’s hoping Truth teller has another cat to bond with. They are great to talk to since they are great listeners. I have trained many cats and yes, they are smart! I believe they have ESP.

My last cat died of a broken heart. Before he came into my life, I had a Labrador Retriever who was extremely social - adored people and hated being alone. A work friend of mine fell on some tough financial times and had to sell her home and move back in with her parents. Her mother refused to take her wonderful cat along with her daughter, so she talked another co-worker into adopting Tim. After about a month, my friend was virtually in tears because the co-worker that had taken him insisted she take the cat back, and she had no idea what to do with him except take him to the local animal shelter.

I had been considering getting another dog as a companion for the Lab, but sometimes fate has different plans for us. I asked her a few questions about Tim, but when I discovered that he was born on the same day as my pooch, I knew it was meant to be.

I have no idea what the person who took him for a month did to him, but when my friend brought Tim to me he was timid and very skittish. He hid in the bathroom or the basement for weeks. I never even heard him so much as meow until the first time I took him to the vet (had I known, I could have recorded the sounds he made that first visit for a PUMA roar).

As time went on, Tim became more and more comfortable with both me and the pup (she was 4 when we added Tim to the family, but Labs are puppies pretty much until they start turning gray). Eventually, when I went bed I would awake after a short time to find the Lab cuddled up on my left side (pushing me against the edge of the bed, of course) and Tim plopped on top of my head - both sleeping contently. Times got bad, and we moved 5 times over the next 9 years, but I never even considered living anywhere I couldn’t have my furry family; as long as the 3 of us were together everyone seemed to adapt just fine whether we were in a hovel or a house.

And no matter where we lived, Tim ruled the roost. He would watch everything that went on, and if he approved he would sit on the back of the couch and purr. He went from timid and hiding to greeting every guest at the door (just like the dog) and sniffing them intently.

Things took a turn for the worse for our little family when the Lab (a notorious chow hound) started to lose her appetite. Visits to our small-town vet met with little relief or comfort. Finally, one day I came home from work to discover Tim at the door meowing at me agitatedly, but no dog. I ran into the house to find her collapsed and unable to move on her own, crying in pain and frustration. I gathered her up in my arms, and took the last fateful trip to the vet. There was little option but to put her out of her misery as the vet could offer nothing and we were 50+ miles from an Emergency Clinic.

I drove home alone, and Tim was pretty much my sole consolation at the loss of our best friend. No one else in my life “got it”. But Tim never really was right after that. He seemed quiet and withdrawn, and lonely. It broke my heart to leave him alone when I went to work, but i just couldn’t bear getting another pet yet. Within 6 months, Tim had also stopped eating. I knew things were dire when I took him to the vet (the one 50 miles away this time) and he didn’t make a peep as she examined him. Pancreatic cancer was the diagnosis, but while this vet was kinder and gentler and provided pain relief, there was still little hope. Within a week or so, I woke up alone in my bed (not something I was used to at all). I went looking for Tim, and found him curled up in a corner in the unused upstairs of the house. His eyes and skin were a pale shade of yellow, and while my brain knew he had gone into renal failure, somewhere deep inside I knew that he just missed his friend and couldn’t bear to spend the days alone.

Wouldn’t it be a shock if all who abused animals go to hell? We are keepers of the earth and we are to help the animals. The only criteria to entering the gates of heaven is this obligation toward all creatures, great and small. Wait and see.

I held on to King Crimson’s tail, a Husky/ Malamute mix, while he swam up the Stanaslaus river, up by Knights Ferry crossing…as I looked for crawdad’s on the river bottom…

The “river rat tribe” would then retire to Art’s, in Cloumbia, where Art would cook the crawdads we caught and King Crimson would find shelter from the 100 degree heat in the shade under my seat. His reward? Yes he loved the crawdads they way Art cooked ‘em, but I think it was more than that.
Often, we would camp, on a summer night, along the river with just a sleeping roll and a night worth of “supplies” ….
I was awakened one night with a Possum an inch from my face, my dog King Crimson fast asleep, and me permently scared mentally from opening my eyes from a dead sleep and staring in the face ‘ol Mr. Possum! Krimson? He was oblivious to the fact that Mr. Possum got the drop on me,dreaming of crawdads.

We lost our rescue kitty, Bubbie, on Dec.29th last year. He was a huge gray Maine Coon and had the heart defect that can affect his breed.

He was the most grateful cat. He truly loved from his kitty soul. We were talking about him the other day and everyone’s eyes got misty. He taught us to appreciate everything. We don’t have the heart to replace the metal! mini blind he chewed through. He was so large and powerful and, yet, a gentle giant.

We, who love our furbabies, are a special kind of earth angel. Spirit will send us another friend when the time is right.

Until then live and love well!

Happy Winter Soltice!!!

We lost our rescue kitty, Bubbie, on Dec.29th last year. He was a huge gray Maine Coon and had the heart defect that can affect his breed.

He was the most grateful cat. He truly loved from his kitty soul. We were talking about him the other day and everyone’s eyes got misty. He taught us to appreciate everything. We don’t have the heart to replace the metal! mini blind he chewed through. He was so large and powerful and, yet, a gentle giant.

We, who love our furbabies, are a special kind of earth angel. Spirit will send us another friend when the time is right.

Until then live and love well!

Happy Winter Solstice!!!

For all deceased cat owners,
take solace in KiKi Smith’s “Pieta”
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_secondary_images.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5486&page_number=52&template_id=1&sort_order=1.&sec_img=1

Cali died four years ago, the day after Thanksgiving, of skin cancer, a reaction 1 in 10,000 cats get to feline leukemia vaccinations. Nowadays, they vaccinate on the leg instead of the back so a leg is amputated instead. She was 11 and a magnificent tortoiseshell calico tuxie I got from the shelter. The cutest, sweetest animal ever. Our family cat, a grey common shorthair, 19, was so heartbroken, he died a month later.

Cali owned me so I called her The Queen. Tiny (she was 12 pounds but looked always like a kitten) but fierce.

No Quarter Nasus,

You are too kind. And by the way, allow me to thank you for all your support during what has been a harrowing twelve months. Providing insight when everyone else seemed blind, you are truly one of the few people on this earth I consider special.

Your friend,

Truthteller

Some how I missed this post yesterday. That is a beautiful cat. You can tell just from the picture he had personality.

I don’t think you ever really get over the loss of a beloved pet. It has been 14 years since my delightful parakeet, Sparky died. He was turquoise with a yellow face. He was bright, sassy and full of the joy of life. He was so affectionate. He would sit on my shoulder when I read and sing softly.

i have three cats and feed two outdoor kitties. in 1999 i lost the love of my life. she was a blue point tonk i called moo. she was smart and my constant companion. i am so glad i worked out of the house the last few years of her life. it gave me more time with her and allowed me to take care of her the last year when she became so ill with pancreatitis. i had moo cremated and had thought to find a special place for her ashes. she is still with me. she loved being with me and i still can’t bare to part from her. she has her home still with me.

Thank you all again for sharing these wonderful stories. When tt shared that his kitty played fetch, I had to laugh–My Big Girl golden retriever catches mice! She is dedicated and relentless until she has gotten her prey. Never have a seen a DOG catch mice but my Lexie does! She does fetch a little too, but her daughter Lulu is the top gun for that, and SHE doesn’t catch mice!

(((((Truthteller)))))

[...] other day, Truthteller had an open thread at No Quarter about a beloved, beautiful, cat who died last year. One of No Quarter’s readers, Georgia, [...]

dearest kitties - they are so wonderful in every way, perfect creatures…

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