Oscar was a kitty, abandoned and fending for himself, when he found my parents in early October, 2001. He came home with me about 2 weeks later and settled easily into the household.
He rid the backyard of bunnies, mice, bumblebees and a wayward bird or two just so you know, if you make a cat drop it! then YOU have to deal with the half-dead bunny...pretty amazing considering he was functionally blind. He could see movement, but would stumble over things in the house that were out of place. A telltale sneeze from the other room meant a diningroom chair had been left out and he'd just rapped his nose.
He was often moving, forever exploring, always finding the chink in the fence. He wasn't much for cuddling, but my lap was his lap...always. Through the years, Oscar taught me the value of sleeping deeply and waking up slowly; that more can be made of love than of hollering; and that in spite of shortcomings, life is best spent barreling ahead.
He was diagnosed with kidney disease about 16 months ago. I'd really counted on him to be an 18-year kitty (Barney set the bar awfully high), but tough beginnings can sometimes mean endings that come sooner.
We had nine years together that we wouldn't have had, had he not popped his face up through the autumn weeds.
I'm very lucky.
- tob with a very empty lap
10 comments:
Cats. A special breed, indeed. Can't live with them, can't live without them. When they're gone, there's just a black hole.
Ohhh. So sorry. The empty lap syndrome is a hard one to overcome. :-(
i'm so sorry. cats know things, and they try to teach us.
Oh no. I'm sorry to hear about Oscar.
Tough beginnings make you appreciate a lap all the more. Better to have loved...
Your lap may feel empty for a while but he will live on in your memory.
I've always been a dog person, and not much a fan of cats... but you're turning me into one.
Sorry,
So sorry to hear about Oscar. How true it is that when a cat passes, it leaves such a hole in our lives. When my cat died, my dog was depressed for weeks. Then this summer when my neighbor's cat died, who would hop the fence to hang out with my dog, the cycle repeated itself. You gave that cat some wonderful years and I'm glad Oscar adopted you.
Nigity..."Always keep a smile in your heart." Sorry to hear this news.
Orange cats are the best. And Oscar was the very best of the orange cats. He was a love. I'm so sorry he's gone, but he will be awaiting you on the other side I'm sure. Heartbreak. Sorrow. Now you can leave the chairs wherever and drop bags all over your house, but I know you wish you still had to be Oh-So-Careful. It will take awhile to unlearn the learned.
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