Slugger 1999-2011
My wife and I adopted Slugger in 1999. I did it mainly to cheer her up after a round of the blues.
At the animal shelter we were looking at the many kittens and I was hoping to find a male as we already had 2 females.
..And there he was sitting on the top of one of those little scratching posts. There could only be one there at a time and of course he was the one we made eye contact and I knew.
Never really a pet person but use to cats I did not think much of the implications as I was 12 years younger at 36 than I am now at 48. Who would know we would have him 12 years. At first he would get on my nerves at nuzzling on my wife's ears in the bed and moving about and I would just grab his little body and gently drop him off the side of the bed. I remember when he was little I would be sitting in the chair and he would be up on the arm and I would be petting him and he would look so proud and happy but I would have to be careful not to knock him over while petting him because he was so small. The female cats did not take to him but he didn't care just like me he willed his way into their hearts. He would tackle them and jump over them and just be a general nuisance.
He did not stay little long he grew to be a very strong active 13# cat. A year after we got him we had bought a house and we beleive in letting them outside. He would tightrope his way around the rails on the privacy fence and he would get out of the yard and I would fuss at him but he would not let me stay mad. He loved to play "string" especially on the living room floor. He would get so excited and get to going so fast he would chase it around in a circle and when I stopped he would pick it and proudly carry it off like he had defeated it.
Over the years I fell in love with that cat I bought him the best food wet and dry and I learned to let him be who is was. I told my wife it was like we were on the same wave length. We were very tight. To set with him on the patio on a lazy summer day was almost a spiritual experience. I would be mowing the grass out back and I would say "watch out Slugger" and he would move or "its okay buddy" and he would stay where he was at.
He would sit on my lap alot when I was watching a game and he eventually got where he would sleep with us almost every night. As a matter of fact my wife Leslie would kiss his paws at night and he got where he would put his paws on her face and she called it playing "patty face" and they did it almost every night. It seemed we had all grown much closer in the last year or two.
Slugger had had few problems over the years. A paw laceration, surgery for benign cysts on his back and he had a kidney removed about 5-6 years ago. Threw it all he was still a pretty healthy sturdy cat.
I always had a collar on him that had the jingle bell on it and over the years I loved to hear those jingle bells.
Ironically Christmas night was the last time I heard those bells. We started treating him on 12/13. Our vet thought he might have a parasitic infection over the next couple of weeks and a couple of different meds he was not improving. Ultrasounds showed nothing (no masses) but an increased spleen, we also knew he had a UTI and he was slightly anemic. On 12/13 I thought we would get him treated and he would be fine but by Christmas eve he could hardly stand up and after getting home on after getting home from my mom's Christmas night he was still in the basket we had left him in that morning and he was meowing loudly. We went straight to the animal hospital and as soon as we got there he was in respiratory distress. We had to make the decision and the vet was going to let us a have a few minutes with him but the next thing we knew he had a seizure and she had to put him to sleep. It was awful
It almost seems unreal I cannot believe he is gone. I miss him so. I have been very depressed but know I have to let him go. I found this site just so I could share with people who understand. I will remember him everyday for the rest of my life and I have faith that we will meet again one day. I told Leslie that I now feel honored to have him as a cat and to have him love me like he did.
I will never have another cat with a jingle bell on the collar.
URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/slugger.png/]
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At the animal shelter we were looking at the many kittens and I was hoping to find a male as we already had 2 females.
..And there he was sitting on the top of one of those little scratching posts. There could only be one there at a time and of course he was the one we made eye contact and I knew.
Never really a pet person but use to cats I did not think much of the implications as I was 12 years younger at 36 than I am now at 48. Who would know we would have him 12 years. At first he would get on my nerves at nuzzling on my wife's ears in the bed and moving about and I would just grab his little body and gently drop him off the side of the bed. I remember when he was little I would be sitting in the chair and he would be up on the arm and I would be petting him and he would look so proud and happy but I would have to be careful not to knock him over while petting him because he was so small. The female cats did not take to him but he didn't care just like me he willed his way into their hearts. He would tackle them and jump over them and just be a general nuisance.
He did not stay little long he grew to be a very strong active 13# cat. A year after we got him we had bought a house and we beleive in letting them outside. He would tightrope his way around the rails on the privacy fence and he would get out of the yard and I would fuss at him but he would not let me stay mad. He loved to play "string" especially on the living room floor. He would get so excited and get to going so fast he would chase it around in a circle and when I stopped he would pick it and proudly carry it off like he had defeated it.
Over the years I fell in love with that cat I bought him the best food wet and dry and I learned to let him be who is was. I told my wife it was like we were on the same wave length. We were very tight. To set with him on the patio on a lazy summer day was almost a spiritual experience. I would be mowing the grass out back and I would say "watch out Slugger" and he would move or "its okay buddy" and he would stay where he was at.
He would sit on my lap alot when I was watching a game and he eventually got where he would sleep with us almost every night. As a matter of fact my wife Leslie would kiss his paws at night and he got where he would put his paws on her face and she called it playing "patty face" and they did it almost every night. It seemed we had all grown much closer in the last year or two.
Slugger had had few problems over the years. A paw laceration, surgery for benign cysts on his back and he had a kidney removed about 5-6 years ago. Threw it all he was still a pretty healthy sturdy cat.
I always had a collar on him that had the jingle bell on it and over the years I loved to hear those jingle bells.
Ironically Christmas night was the last time I heard those bells. We started treating him on 12/13. Our vet thought he might have a parasitic infection over the next couple of weeks and a couple of different meds he was not improving. Ultrasounds showed nothing (no masses) but an increased spleen, we also knew he had a UTI and he was slightly anemic. On 12/13 I thought we would get him treated and he would be fine but by Christmas eve he could hardly stand up and after getting home on after getting home from my mom's Christmas night he was still in the basket we had left him in that morning and he was meowing loudly. We went straight to the animal hospital and as soon as we got there he was in respiratory distress. We had to make the decision and the vet was going to let us a have a few minutes with him but the next thing we knew he had a seizure and she had to put him to sleep. It was awful
It almost seems unreal I cannot believe he is gone. I miss him so. I have been very depressed but know I have to let him go. I found this site just so I could share with people who understand. I will remember him everyday for the rest of my life and I have faith that we will meet again one day. I told Leslie that I now feel honored to have him as a cat and to have him love me like he did.
I will never have another cat with a jingle bell on the collar.
URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/slugger.png/]
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
35 days since you've gone. 5 weeks.
I miss you Slugger your mom cat misses you.
I miss seeing you every morning when I get up and opening the cat door for you. I miss seeing you greet me every night when I came home from work. Every time I buy you sister cat some food or litter I miss you.
I miss seeing you on the bed at night and you crawling up between me and your mom cat and soaking up our love and attention. I see you everywhere. When I look out back. Sitting here at the computer I look down at the floor where you may have been sitting begging me to pay attention to you which I did most of the time but regretting the times I didn't. I miss you jumping up in the kitchen chair wanting me to pet you.
Every night when I come home from work and pull in the drive way I look where I might have seen. Strolling over from the neighbors yard or meeting me at the door and speaking to me.
I miss seeing you come and hearing your bell when I called you at the back door.
I miss it when you would wake me up from my afternoon naps by head butting me or licking on my face and hands. You knew wet food was at 6:00 but you always woke me at 4:00 laugh. I miss how you looked at me like I was never going to feed you again.
I miss your head butts and nose kisses. I miss petting your head which you loved so much and I miss you sitting with me and clawing my legs.
I even miss you scratching me when you did when we were playing. I had a place on my right wrist from where we were giving you medicine but it has healed.
I see you in my mind on a summer day and we are out back and I see you out in the yard and hold my cupped hand down for you and call your name and you come happily with your white tipped tail up in the air like you did many times before. I pet your head and say "you're a good boy, you're a good cat." You were and you always be "my" cat Slugger. I was always so proud of you and I love you. For the first time in weeks I have tears in my eyes as more realization of you being gone from this Earth is hitting me. You were the best cat ever.
We will see each other again one day.
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I miss you Slugger your mom cat misses you.
I miss seeing you every morning when I get up and opening the cat door for you. I miss seeing you greet me every night when I came home from work. Every time I buy you sister cat some food or litter I miss you.
I miss seeing you on the bed at night and you crawling up between me and your mom cat and soaking up our love and attention. I see you everywhere. When I look out back. Sitting here at the computer I look down at the floor where you may have been sitting begging me to pay attention to you which I did most of the time but regretting the times I didn't. I miss you jumping up in the kitchen chair wanting me to pet you.
Every night when I come home from work and pull in the drive way I look where I might have seen. Strolling over from the neighbors yard or meeting me at the door and speaking to me.
I miss seeing you come and hearing your bell when I called you at the back door.
I miss it when you would wake me up from my afternoon naps by head butting me or licking on my face and hands. You knew wet food was at 6:00 but you always woke me at 4:00 laugh. I miss how you looked at me like I was never going to feed you again.
I miss your head butts and nose kisses. I miss petting your head which you loved so much and I miss you sitting with me and clawing my legs.
I even miss you scratching me when you did when we were playing. I had a place on my right wrist from where we were giving you medicine but it has healed.
I see you in my mind on a summer day and we are out back and I see you out in the yard and hold my cupped hand down for you and call your name and you come happily with your white tipped tail up in the air like you did many times before. I pet your head and say "you're a good boy, you're a good cat." You were and you always be "my" cat Slugger. I was always so proud of you and I love you. For the first time in weeks I have tears in my eyes as more realization of you being gone from this Earth is hitting me. You were the best cat ever.
We will see each other again one day.
Tonight is 7 weeks ......49 days.
I love you Slugger and I miss you.
"You are a good boy...you are a good cat"
:heart
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I love you Slugger and I miss you.
"You are a good boy...you are a good cat"
:heart
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
