Our morning started out with sadness. Our 22 lb Scooter, a beautiful black and white lazy house cat passed away.
We have had Scooter for about 9 years. He came to us as a kitten just after the passing of another ornery black and white named Tuck. Tuck was Dana's cat, and she was in no way ready for another--but the very day he died, my son Chuck was working at a house where the people had this kitten show up and they wanted it to go away. Chuck called me and said that we wouldn't believe it but there was a cat exactly like Tuck that needed a new home. Scooter charged into our life despite the protest of Dana--but that protest lasted about five minutes.
Scooter was Dana's cat from the word GO. Given a choice of laps on a couch, he would choose Dana's every time. At the time, Sassy was the only other inside cat, and she never really loved Scooter--maybe tolerated him at times, and she'd smack him around at every opportunity. Scooter soon outweighed Sassy, and he just ignored her abuse. Oh, he could dish it out , but for the most part they got along.
Scooter had a lot of peculiar patterns of behavior. He liked his breakfast served on time--5:00 am sharp. Dinner time was flexible, but when he thought we were a little late in getting it ready, he would fuss big-time. And at 9:00 pm, he would retire to bed. Our bed. He was a good foot warmer, but he usually liked to be right in Dana's face, usually sharing a pillow.
Whenever I did get some lap-time with Scooter, he liked to be right in your face. Close enough for an occasional whisker tickle, and definitely close enough for a slimy cat kiss.
He was also particularly for of belly rubbing. A good massage would get his massage technique going. I always thought he could have a career with back massage, if I could ever get him turned around to do his kneading thing to a soor back or shoulders. I'd pay $55/hour for a good massage like that.
Scooter was always good to pose for pictures, and I took lots of them. I wish I had taken more video though.
It's Santa's little helper.
Although I have a few pictures of all three cats in the same lap, this was a rarity. This nearly always ended up in a power struggle for king/queen of the lap.
In this case, Scooter won not only king of the lap, but we took the whole throne.
My only video of Scooter. He was the most talkative cat I've ever known. I think cats like it when you meow back at him. He and I could go on like this for hours. Some of his meows were 3-4 syllables, and Dana swears he was saying MAMA.
Dana said her grandpa used to tell her that the sign of a good cat was one who would let you rub their nose. Scooter like his nose rubber. He also seemed to like his ears played with--well, maybe not like turning them wrong-side out. He would tolerate this for a minute, and then a quick twitch would turn them right side out.
This was my last picture of Scooter--taken a couple of days ago. I put it on Facebook, and said no animals were harmed in the taking of this picture.
This morning, after his breakfast, he was meowing weird and deep. Every once and a while, he would do this when he had a hairball, and would yak it up either right in the center of the living room carpet, or right where my foot hits the floor when I get out of bed. I figured a pile of cat-urp was forthcoming, but the howling meows kept coming. Dana and I then thought something was wrong. When we saw him, he was trying to walk, but was dragging his hind legs. The paralysis then worsened to where the whole bottom half of his body was unable to move. He was in pain, and was scared. Pet emergencies always happen on a holiday or a weekend, and we had no choice but to take him the the emergency vet clinic.
Dana thought he had thrown a blood clot--something that had happened to a male cat we had several years back. The vet doc told us the same thing. I gave the OK for him to have some pain meds, and the doctor and I discussed Scooter's options. There are surgical procedures that can be done, but he was honest enough to tell me that the chances of a recovery were not good. I hate gut-wrenching decisions like this. HATE IT! But I felt it best to have him put down.
Hmmm..here I set typing. And crying. The folks at the vet ER clinic were so nice. They did their deed, and put Scooter in a nice box that resembled a casket. It was securely sealed and taped shut for me to take home. In a few minutes, I'll go to a shady place under a sycamore tree and dig a hole. Dana and I will have his burial tomorrow morning.
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