Hello fellow cat people

Hey I'm dpepper73, and I joined the cat site because I need to find some information that can help me with my Calico-colored kitty named Libby.  My brother and I have had Libby for about 13 months now.  We were walking out our front door one day and she happened to be crossing our yard.  As soon as she saw us she started meowing non-stop.  We knelt down and she didn't hesitate to approach us, which let us know that she was someone's cat or she used to be someone's cat.  We put up some flyers around our block and waited for a response.  Since we didn't get one, we officially claimed her as ours, reluctantly.

Yes, reluctantly.  About 3 months before Libby came strutting across our yard, we had a different cat named Billy.  Billy was hit by a car around midnight on Memorial Day 2014.  You may be thinking, "How does he know it was midnight?"  The night before Memorial Day, I exited our house through the front door around 11:30pm to go for one of my late night walks.  Billy came outside with me.  He was an indoor/outdoor cat, so I didn't freak out but I also didn't really mean for him to come outside with me that night for some reason.  He followed me down the driveway and onto the street, which was unusual for him.  My neighbor across the street had made a pile of debris on the side of our street to be picked up by the garbage truck.  Billy found something about that pile very interesting.  I tried and tried to get him away from it but I gave up and started on my walk.  I walked about a mile and a half or two miles that night and was back home by midnight.  If he was outside, Billy would always run out to the driveway to greet me after my walk, but there was no greeting from Billy that night.  My first thought was, "My brother must have taken him inside."  That wasn't the case.  By the way, Billy was an all black cat with only one white spot on his chest.  That made it awfully hard to see Billy in the dark.  My brother and I were so worried that night that we both stayed up until dawn.  Every now and then one of us would go outside and softly call for Billy.  We also walked up and down our short street looking for him.

At first light, my brother went outside.  He came back in almost right away and told me that he had seen something in the ditch next to the pile of debris across the street, but he wanted to wait for me so we could investigate it together.  At least that's what I think.  Something told me right then that he had seen Billy's lifeless body.  I immediately jumped up and went outside, ran down the driveway, and by the time I was halfway across the street I could see our little guy lying on his left side.  That might just be the worst feeling I've ever had.  Since it was the morning of Memorial Day, there was hardly any traffic.  If it had been any other day, lots of people would've witnessed two grown men weeping uncontrollably.  We live in a city of about 24,000 people and our street is very, very quiet at night.  Otherwise, we would've never let him outside.  I kept trying to figure out when and how it must have happened.  "Well, he must have been so intrigued by whatever was in that pile that he darted out in front of a car without realizing it."  I was filled with anger towards the person who was responsible.  Part of me wonders if it happened just a minute or two before I got home.  If so, could Billy hear me calling him when I first got back?  Lord I hope not.  

So that's why I use the word "reluctantly" when I talk about adopting Libby.  We told ourselves, "Okay, we are going to provide food, water, shelter, and love for this cat.  We're just going to do the minimum."  Billy's litter box had been thrown away by one of us during a fit of anger, so Libby goes outside whenever she has to use the bathroom.  Sure, we could've purchased another litter box but we despised having to tend to it.  The mess, the smell, the extra expense, etc.

Libby is the sweetest cat I've ever had or known.  She has never ever tried to scratch or bite me or my brother.  I would post my question here but since this is a "New Cats on the Block" topic, I'll wait and post it under cat health.

I didn't mean for my story to be so long.  So please accept my apologies for that.  I look forward to meeting you and learning more about my cat and yours too.

This is dpepper73 again.  I meant to post a picture of Billy, the black and white cat that was hit by a car, in my other post.  

Here's three.

That is such a sad story. I'm sorry for you loss of Billy. He looks so much like my Sgt. Pepper, so handsome, so it gets me in the feels even more. I hope you and your brother can eventually move passed the sadness of losing him and make room to love Libby just as much. She is gorgeous and reminds me of my Boogie Bear. Just think if she had strutted across your yard when Billy was still with you, maybe they would have become friends.

Welcome!   Awesome to have you join us. 

Billy looks gorgeous in those pics, and your newfound Libby is totally stunning!
 

And don't worry about long stories, as fellow cat owners and lovers, we get it!




 

Welcome to the site! I love your black cat pics. 

Awe your Billy was beautiful, I am so sorry for your loss. I can't wait to see Libby!

Thanks for your kind words.  Sorry it's taken me so long to respond.

Thank you very much.  Finding Billy in my neighbor's ditch across the street that morning was absolutely heartbreaking.  Very painful indeed.

When I wrote the story about Billy, I actually left out a big part of that story.  So here's the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say on his radio show.

Our next door neighbors had a black cat with one little white spot just like Billy's.  It's name was Max.  My brother and I grew very fond of Max because he would always come over whenever we were in the backyard.  Well, one day, Brian, the 12 or 13-year old boy next door, asked me if I had seen Max.  I told him that it had been a week or two since I had seen him.  A few more days went by and I saw Brian again.  So I asked him if he had seen Max.  He hadn't seen him.  I asked if he had called the pound/shelter to see if someone had picked him up and taken him there.  He said, "No."  So, out of curiosity, I called the local shelter and asked if they had a cat that fit Max's description and sure enough, they did.  The next day I went to the shelter to see if it was Max, and as far as I could tell, I was him!

The people at the pound told me that it would cost $110 to get Max out.  That cost included having him neutered, plus the boarding, plus a rabies shot.  He had been there about a month.  I couldn't quite comprehend why I was supposed to pay for the month of boarding.  Also, I didn't ask for Max to be neutered but I think it's the shelter's policy to spay or neuter animals before letting them go.  I could be wrong.  Well, I didn't exactly have $110 to spend on my neighbor's cat.  I contacted a friend of mine from high school who was working at a nearby animal shelter and told her all about Max, and how I really wanted to get him out of that cage but I just couldn't spend $110. She said that she would see what she could do and that's how we left it.  I never contacted the neighbors to tell them their cat was at the pound/shelter.  They already had 3 or 4 dogs and another cat or two.  I got the feeling that Brian's grandparents weren't very worried about Max.  Brian was staying with his grandparents at this time.  Honestly, I never really expected anything to come from the talk with my friend.

A couple of weeks later, my last grandparent died on May 14, 2014.  We called her BaBa and she was my mother's mother.  I was much closer to BaBa than any of my other grandparents.  BaBa's real name was Billie Jean.  She had dementia and had been going downhill for the last couple of years.  My mother and my aunt had to hire round-the-clock care for her during her last year.  So on May 14, 2014, our mother called us about 10am to tell us that BaBa had passed away.  Of course, it was quite the sad day.  I doubt I have to explain what that is like.

A few hours later there was a knock on our door.  Lo and behold, it was the friend from high school who I had contacted about Max.  She had her two children with her, and another girl I had known since high school.  They had their arms full of stuff, the main thing being an animal carrier with Max inside!!  They also had a litter box with a dome, a big box of Arm & Hammer Cat Litter, a big bag of cat food, a cardboard incline for scratching, and several toys for the cat!!  She handed me a card and in it were the signatures of seven friends' names, including the two girls, or women, who had brought Max to us.  They had no idea that our grandmother had passed away earlier that day.  What an unbelievable thoughtful gesture on their part!  

A couple of days later, we had the funeral for our grandmother.  After we returned home, I went outside and brought Max with me.  I wanted to show the boy next door that we had Max!  After a short wait, he and his grandfather came pulling into their driveway.  Brian saw Max and came right over, picked up Max, and told him that he had missed him.  It was a great moment.  However, I did explain to him that Max would eat and sleep with me and my brother, but he could play with Max anytime he wanted.  He seemed more than content with that arrangement.  A couple of hours later I had just returned from the grocery store.  Just to remind everybody, this is still the day of my grandmother's funeral.  While I'm taking the groceries out of the bags, I hear a rather loud obnoxious knock coming from our back door.  It was another neighbor from two doors down.  This neighbor had formed a bond with Brian from next door.  He would take him fishing and things like that, because Brian's father wasn't around.  Apparently, Brian had started thinking about the new situation with Max and he told our neighbor about it.  The first thing out of this neighbor's mouth was something like, "I heard you had a stolen cat."  He's a former policeman and he was in that mode, if you know what I mean.  I couldn't believe what I had just heard, so I said, "What did you say?"  He repeated the statement about the stolen cat.  My heart rate skyrocketed and I started shaking because of his belligerent tone and accusations.  So when I started explaining how a group of my friends had pooled their money together to get Max out of the pound, I started stuttering a little bit at which point he actually started mocking me.  So then he asked to see the official papers.  At first, I was going to take about 30 minutes to an hour before I went back outside with the papers.  I wanted to make him wait.  But I was so amped up that I couldn't wait.  I told my brother, who had fallen asleep in his chair, what was going on and he hopped right up and we both went out the back door.  I made sure this neighbor knew that we had buried our grandmother earlier that day and that he picked a fine time to get all macho with us.  There was a lot of testosterone flowing right outside our back door that night.  I felt really bad for Brian.  The whole time that my brother and I were arguing with this neighbor, Brian was standing back about 15 feet by a tree.  When I finally calmed down, I noticed him standing there.  I tried to approach him and tell him that everything was gonna be okay but he just put his hands up in the air and walked away.  In the days that followed Brian apologized for getting the whole thing started.  I told him that it wasn't his fault at all.  I told him that he behaved with more maturity and restraint then any of the adults.

Now you can probably see why I left this part out of the original story about Billy.  Brian's grandfather was also outside with us that night and was the only one with a level head.  He kept saying that he didn't think we had the right cat.  He didn't think it was Max.  Over the next week, whenever I would pet Max on his head, it seemed noticeably smaller than before he went missing.  He also behaved differently then he had before.  I had pictures of Max that were taken before he went missing and I would compare them to new pictures of Max that I had taken since he had been brought to us.  There were obvious differences in the pictures.  We eventually came to the conclusion that this cat was indeed a different cat than Max.  When we were 100% sure that this cat wasn't Max, we decided to give him a different name.  Considering our grandmother's name was Billie, there was no doubt in our minds what the new name would be.  We just changed the spelling from "Billie" to "Billy."  

We have no idea what ever became of Max.  The people at the shelter told me that Billy had been found in an area that was about 5 miles away from our house.  The name on the info sheet was O'Malley.  I guess we wanted to believe that it was Max.  I hate to say it but I think Brian's mother probably took Max out to the countryside somewhere and put it out on the side of the road.  That's just speculation though.

Well, if you read all of this I appreciate it.  We had Billy for a year and 12 days.  That's really not long enough to get to know a pet.  And even though he was struck by a car and died, I don't regret anything.  I'm blessed to have friends like the ones who each kicked in a little cash until they had enough to spring Billy from the joint plus buy all that stuff.  

Thank you.  Sorry it took me so long to see your post.  I appreciate the kind words.

I'm so very sorry about Billy, I know the pain of seeing that awful sight, it is one that is forever seared in your brain. I can also see why you did what you did with 'Max', and that neighbor really had no right to confront you in my opinion, especially after knowing you had just lost a loved one. I'm sorry that you won't know what ever happened to Max, just maybe, after being away, he had changed. You are blessed indeed to have friends like you do, and will surely be blessed again for loving those cats like you did. Libby is lucky indeed to have found you, and you never know, sometimes I wonder how another shows up after we lost one, it's like they know that we need something to feel that empty hole in our hearts.  I hope Billy can rest in peace knowing that he will be forever held in a loving heart. Take care.....

@dpepper73  That is such a sad story. I understand your sadness about the loss of Billy because I also lost my baby boy George the same way. I was bless to have a neighbor find him just moments after the incident and brought him to me.

He died in my arms and I stayed up all that night holding and loving on him hoping my love would bring him back. I know it sounds like a fairy tale but he was the most important thing in my life at that point (outside of my daughters) and I couldn't imagine living without him.

I always believe that those we love will send another to help heal our heart and that is why Libby showed up on your lawn that day. She will show you in her own time that Billy sent her to you. Take her and love her beyond measure and you will know she has a part of Billy with her.

Welcome to TCS, it's a great site to talk about our cats and I am sorry for your loss.

Great pics of Billy, beautiful cat.

Di and Bob, thank you for those kind words.  That was so sweet and I really appreciate it.  In my neighbor's defense, he didn't know that my grandmother had passed away. He was just guilty of bad timing and bad people skills.  I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends.  I also feel blessed whenever I get a message like the one I received from you.

Best wishes to you, Di and Bob.

@kntrygrl256  Wow.  Your comment and the one before are almost enough to make this grown man cry.  I don't think anything you said sounded like a fairy tale.  I don't think I could've sat there with Billy in my arms, slowly slipping away.  I have noticed a change in Libby as of late.  She sleeps with me a lot of the time and when she does she sleeps down toward the bottom of my bed.  Sometimes she'll position herself about halfway down the bed, even with my waist.  Well, a couple of nights ago, I put her up on the bed and then I got on the bed.  She started "making biscuits" about halfway down the bed and she kept coming closer and closer to my face.  Eventually, she was right next to my face.  I kept laughing and saying, "What are you doing girl?"  Of course, she kept making those sounds that only cats can make.  So all I had to do to see her little pink nose was turn my head to the left.  I was smiling from ear to ear.  I often wonder if she knows what I'm feeling when I smile at her.  I blink back and forth with her all of the time.  

I would be lying if I said there weren't times when she gets on my nerves.  However, the companionship she provides and the feeling I get when I make her purr more than make up for her getting on my nerves.  

And by the way, I'm not a 100% country boy, but I've spent a lot of time in the Alabama and Tennessee countryside.  There's nothing like it.

dpepper73 said:

 
@kntrygrl256  Wow.  Your comment and the one before are almost enough to make this grown man cry.  I don't think anything you said sounded like a fairy tale.  I don't think I could've sat there with Billy in my arms, slowly slipping away.  I have noticed a change in Libby as of late.  She sleeps with me a lot of the time and when she does she sleeps down toward the bottom of my bed.  Sometimes she'll position herself about halfway down the bed, even with my waist.  Well, a couple of nights ago, I put her up on the bed and then I got on the bed.  She started "making biscuits" about halfway down the bed and she kept coming closer and closer to my face.  Eventually, she was right next to my face.  I kept laughing and saying, "What are you doing girl?"  Of course, she kept making those sounds that only cats can make.  So all I had to do to see her little pink nose was turn my head to the left.  I was smiling from ear to ear.  I often wonder if she knows what I'm feeling when I smile at her.  I blink back and forth with her all of the time.  

I would be lying if I said there weren't times when she gets on my nerves.  However, the companionship she provides and the feeling I get when I make her purr more than make up for her getting on my nerves.  

And by the way, I'm not a 100% country boy, but I've spent a lot of time in the Alabama and Tennessee countryside.  There's nothing like it.

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Thank you. I have since lost two more of my precious boys since losing Georgie. Here is their memorial page http://www.thecatsite.com/a/gone-but-not-forgotten

Each time another one was sent to me. I believe each of my boys sent me one just made to heal my heart. With each one I gave a piece to help them remember me when we meet again. My heartache and the loss will never go away but it has eased with each new baby that was sent to me.

Alabama & Tennessee are both beautiful, thanks.