Bugs came to live with me some time in Nov. 2000. Some friends were breeding American Bobtail's and she had a slight heart defect and couldn't be sold so they gave hr to me. She hid in the house for the first few days and only came out to eat while I was at work. But she quickly warmed up after that and for the next 14 years was a great friend (and still is in my mind). Bugs was the only cat I've known that would willingly insert herself under the covers of the bed whether I was home or not. Early on she began doing 'the Halloween pose' and would continue doing it now and then throughout her life. It never failed to pick me up if I was feeling down.
Bug's was strictly an indoor cat, but once when I opened the door for something she slipped outside unnoticed. It was about half an hour before I noticed I hadn't seen her. I panicked and opened the door and she was just sitting there looking like "Okay, I saw outside. Can I come in now?" After that I'd take her out on the porch now an then and she never once tried to run off or stray from it. She got along fine with the neighborhood ferals as I cooked out and they were fed. Laying there content, the Queen of the Porch.
In 2010 I came home from a night out and she was visibly sick. She was staggering around and panting. I took her to the vet in the morning and was told she was dehydrated and likely had a kidney problem. They said it didn't look good. I told them to do what they could and went to work in a daze. I wasn't ready to lose my buddy. They kept her for about 3 days before calling and said I could pick her up. She somehow made a recovery over night!
A couple years later, Clyde showed up and adopted us as his new home. He and Bugs got along great pretty much from the start! They seemed to be meant for each other and would play constantly. Clyde quickly overtook her in size, though.
Then in Oct. of 2014, she suddenly stopped eating. I again took her to the vet and they had the same diagnosis as in 2010. They kept her for a few days and this time there was no improvement. She had lost a lot of weight and could barely move. I took her home for a night to let her say good-bye to Clyde. She slept in a special bed on mine that night, he kept an eye on her. The next day I took her back to the vet to have her put to sleep. As much as I hated seeing her suffering as she was, I'd say this task was about equal. I stayed with her and held her paw as she went. As a 50 year old man who's put on 12 years on the railroad before going into driving trucks, it still chokes me up. This was more than 'just a cat'. This was my friend.
I still think of her a lot and believe I'll see her again. Last year I decided to commemorate her with a new tattoo. I had 2 designs I'd made from pictures of her. I asked Clyde which one I should get. He stared at both for a few minutes, then reached out and picked one. I went with it.
We miss ya, Bugs!
Bug's was strictly an indoor cat, but once when I opened the door for something she slipped outside unnoticed. It was about half an hour before I noticed I hadn't seen her. I panicked and opened the door and she was just sitting there looking like "Okay, I saw outside. Can I come in now?" After that I'd take her out on the porch now an then and she never once tried to run off or stray from it. She got along fine with the neighborhood ferals as I cooked out and they were fed. Laying there content, the Queen of the Porch.
In 2010 I came home from a night out and she was visibly sick. She was staggering around and panting. I took her to the vet in the morning and was told she was dehydrated and likely had a kidney problem. They said it didn't look good. I told them to do what they could and went to work in a daze. I wasn't ready to lose my buddy. They kept her for about 3 days before calling and said I could pick her up. She somehow made a recovery over night!
A couple years later, Clyde showed up and adopted us as his new home. He and Bugs got along great pretty much from the start! They seemed to be meant for each other and would play constantly. Clyde quickly overtook her in size, though.
Then in Oct. of 2014, she suddenly stopped eating. I again took her to the vet and they had the same diagnosis as in 2010. They kept her for a few days and this time there was no improvement. She had lost a lot of weight and could barely move. I took her home for a night to let her say good-bye to Clyde. She slept in a special bed on mine that night, he kept an eye on her. The next day I took her back to the vet to have her put to sleep. As much as I hated seeing her suffering as she was, I'd say this task was about equal. I stayed with her and held her paw as she went. As a 50 year old man who's put on 12 years on the railroad before going into driving trucks, it still chokes me up. This was more than 'just a cat'. This was my friend.
I still think of her a lot and believe I'll see her again. Last year I decided to commemorate her with a new tattoo. I had 2 designs I'd made from pictures of her. I asked Clyde which one I should get. He stared at both for a few minutes, then reached out and picked one. I went with it.
We miss ya, Bugs!