Puddy Left Us 7/9/10

Zoolady · July 11, 2010

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Over 15 years ago, working in a trailer at the University, I looked out the window and saw a mama cat, proudly introducing her newborns to the world by parading them down the sidewalk between the trailers. She chose their home to be under a trailer, I had been feeding the ferals for a while, putting their food in a tin pie plate filled with water so the ants wouldn't eat their food. When it got cold a few weeks after the kittens arrived, I put towels under the trailer so they could have warmth.

The babies grew bigger and stronger and were having adventures on their own, making their way in the world. Something happened to Puddy's foot and he was leaving tiny blood footprints all over. A co-worker managed to capture him and take him to the vet. After treatment, she couldn't have him so Scott and I stepped up and brought him home.

He took to home life like he knew it was his destiny. He never clawed or destroyed anything, was impeccable with the litter box, was a complete gentleman and only played with his personal toys and scratching post.

Several years ago we had an invasion of mice and he rose to the occasion. I can see it like it was yesterday. We're in the computer room and here he comes in the room, holding something in his mouth with a little pink tail sticking out and wiggling. He walked over to Scott, dropped it and said, "Let's play." Puddy also gave us a glimpse into the Godfather. I came home for lunch one day and in the hall was a mouse head. No body and no blood. We set traps at night and kept him in the bedroom. We knew they were gone when he quit looking under a cupboard. We found the entry point and sealed it.

At dinner times he thought he was a dog and would get on the dining table and beg. After dinner was tv time and he would hang out on the back of the couch with us or on the arm of the couch beside me, watching tv. His favorite channel was Animal Planet.

When our 22 year old cat passed, he missed her so we got a younger female he could boss around. She's now been here about five years and learned her manners from Puddy. He taught he what was acceptable and good manners. She, however, doesn't like to be close like he did.

The groomer at the vet loved him too. He was a Hemingway with the extra toes and she delighted in seeing him.

He loved hanging out on the screened porch and after hurricane Wilma took it away, he wasn't happy and began acting strange. We contacted an animal communicator, Joan Ranquet, and she told us that he was okay but he was worried about me being stressed. After that he was okay and eventually we put his porch back on and he spent many hours lounging in the sun. There was a bed and water out there for him but we always monitored to see if he wanted to come back in. Last week he jumped up to the orchids on a table which showed us he was still strong and able.

Last October he had an undetermined mass in his belly and Monday he started going downhill. Not wanting to come off the porch one afternoon, not wanting treats for two afternoons before I went back to work, and not eating but just licking the moisure from the wet cat food and not eating the dry that's always left down for them.

It was quite a shock finding out his heart was failing and five times the normal size. I posted about this in Off Topic. We gave him the final act of love Friday, July 9. In my head I know it was the right thing to do but it was so difficult with him hanging out on the couch in the vet's office and know that with the medicines his mouth felt better and he was eating. It was hard to grasp that his heart and kidneys were failing and his time was imminent no matter what we did. We didn't want him afraid of us chasing him to give him his minimum six pills and the consensus of opinion was that his time was close anyhow with his heart failing and kidneys shutting down.

15 years was too short and 500 years wouldn't have been enough. I see him everywhere and even reach to touch him at night and remember he's not here.

I'm confident he's okay on the other side and know we will be together again. We miss him so much. Precious keeps calling out for him too and searching for him.

He was a very special, extraordinary cat that was very, very loved.