His purrins and humpins up are done
My babba Ru died early this morning. He’d been doing poorly since I took him to the vet on Tuesday for a stuffed up nose. His back legs quit working well and he quit eating and drinking. I think he was ready.
Before I went to bed about 1 am I petted him and told him that if he was ready to go, it was okay. He didn’t have to hang around for me. We had 18 years together and that’s longer than many folks get with their kittehs. By the time I got up at 7 am, he was gone, lying peacefully on the living room floor.
I got him as a kitten from my grandfather’s farm. He was one of a family with a non-branching tree. He grew up to be a thick necked mutt of a farm cat.
My ex husband and I lived for a few months with my mother. During that time, Ru hated my mother. I think she smelled too much like her cat and I think he also could sense that she wasn’t happy to have him in her house. Mom has never been a housecat person. She’s always had cats that were indoor-outdoor, but mostly outdoors. Ru ended up biting through her hand in the webbing between thumb and index finger. She got a doctor bill and he got neutered ad tagged with the nickname of Demon Spawn – yeah, Mom really didn’t like him. He was right at about a year old. After that, he was the biggest mama’s boy you ever saw.
Bothering Marius
He knew when I was sad and he’d come and sit with me. He loved to sleep on my chest at night. He’d purr and I’d drift off with a 17 pound weight on top of me. When he went through a bout of not eating several years back and he lost a lot of weight, I missed that comforting heaviness. In the last 3 months he’d gone from 10 pounds to 7. He weighed barely anything. I’m used to cats that are heavy and solid. He was featherlight the last few months.
Anyway, he’s gone and I’m sad, but it was the best end that could be expected and he brightened my life for a long time.
I can’t remember what the name of this poem is, nor who the author is. We read it from an ancient little book of poems back when I was a child and certain passages have stuck in my head. Rather than the Rainbow Bridge poem (“rainbow bridge” to a D&D player means Bifrost and Vikings and Valhalla, not dead pets) that gets passed around, Mom & I quote this to each other when our kitties die. The whole poem is about a child who finds a dead cat. The whole thing is even more pathetic and tear inducing than these few lines.
I is strokin’ you’s fur but you don’t never purr nor humps up anywhere, little cat,
Why is dat?
Is you purrins and humpins up done?I is wet in my eyes coz I most allus cries
When a pussy cat dies
And I’s awfully solly besides.
I think picture 3 is the Ru I’m most familiar with. I’ve seen that look I don’t know how many times from him. And little Ru’s got my eyes all wet and whatnot. Damnit, he’s not even my cat and we all knew it was coming, but I’m still having to remind myself awful hard that I’m a man and crying is not allowed. Allergies, that’s what it is. Yeah…
I’m glad he went as he did, though. You had pretty much the whole day with him, he got to spend some time outside in the sun…And honestly if cats were capable of regretting anything, I still don’t think he would.
So how are you and Caliban doing?
Oh, we’s fine. I’m not even sure Caliban really knows at this point. He went over and sniffed the place where Ru actually died. He sniffed the body once before I got it wrapped up.
He’s being pretty clingy but how to tell the difference from his normal “I am the center of attention, me!” attitude, I’m not sure.
And I’m fine. Get a bit teary every so often and this was hard to write, but it was seen coming and it’s a good thing that it is over. Thanks for asking. :)
My condolences, Nicole. I know you are heartbroken :(
And boy, the room is sure dusty here…
Thank you, Aggie. I’m okay. Nothing time and a buttload of crappy undersea horror movies won’t dull. :) Finished “Deep Blue Sea” and moving on to “Deep Rising.” :)
I am so sad for your loss. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Monkey. I’m glad Caliban is there to help.
Thanks, LeeAnn. I hope you and Monkey have many, many more years together. Little beggars worm a way in, don’t they? :)
I wish some of my humanoid friends could have hung around for 18 years.
So sorry. At least you had that time together.
Thanks. I think we all probably have people we wish had stayed in our lives much longer than they did.
I really didn’t post in an attempt to garner sympathy – though the comments are appreciated. It’s actually Phil’s fault. He had asked for a then & now photo thing on Ru and I just hadn’t gotten around to doing one. Today just seemed like a good day to get out the old pictures and finally find the ones I needed. :)
It’s always sad when a family member–4-legged or 2-legged person–leaves, but bittersweet when you know it’s time or even past time.
It was indeed that – time and maybe a bit past.
Had to put my 20-year-old varmint down just before moving a couple of years ago and still haven’t found myself ready for another.
During her later years, she was deaf as a post, which infuriated her when I would walk into a room and she didn’t hear me coming. Like thunderstorms and a couple years spent living with my folks and their dog while I was in grad school, her lack of hearing was my fault ;-)
Best wishes to you
Yeah, I’m in no hurry right now to replace him. Now… that may change if I come home tomorrow after work and find the house destroyed because Caliban freaked out at being alone all day… ;)
Ru also wasn’t hearing well. It was easy to startle him. :)
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
You’re welcome — and should have said the pic on my blog page is random shot from online — I wouldn’t be the one who tosses a cat into a pool (unless I wore armor for the rest of my life)
LOL… I once tossed a cat into a pool. It was a really, really good cat and knew better than to hurt small humans. After the rescue of the cat, I was taught in no uncertain terms that cats don’t go swimming. :)
So sorry Nicole. He looks like a gorgeous cat.
Oh Nicole, I am so sorry. They weasle their way into our hearts and become not only our friend but our family and their time we us is always too short. I’m sure Ru had a wonderful life.