::Onions:: I've lost my best friend. (Off-Topic)

by Phoenix_9286 , Saturday, May 20, 2017, 19:28 (2541 days ago) @ INSANEdrive

I have been here. While the details are different, I know the story well.

Ours was a rescue, "forced" upon us by the wife of my mother's employer. "Oh, just let me bring him by and if you don't like him I'll take him back home!" He came with food, and within five minutes of being set loose in the house, had vanished and hidden behind a bookshelf. And that, was that.

In his past life, he was most assuredly a lawyer or a banker, for he'd become used to a certain lifestyle, and being a cat was not conducive to continuing said lifestyle. He was temperamental and proud. Meal times were carved in stone, and heaven help you if you passed through the kitchen and his food was not prepared. You'd be knocked over. Cats and coffee don't agree, so he settled for milk or half and half. Shrimp, bacon, and eggs were the pinnacle of fine dining. He knew when they were available and would glare until he got some. And just like a former human of his importance and lifestyle, he was quite rotund. This doesn't mean for a second he ever tried to be anything other than a looker. The grey and white fur was a perfect representation of the suit he died in. He had to be brushed daily, but pay extra attention to his head. He was cultured and had distinctive taste in music. If he enjoyed it, he'd saunter into the room, sprawl out and relax. If he hated it, he'd walk back out.

As with all cats, however, he was defective in all the best ways. Something long ago must have broken loose in his head, because I've never heard a louder, or more rattling, purr. Brushing his head too long would reward you with a droolfest. If he felt playful, he'd flop over, roll onto his back, and kick at his own chin. And the butt pats... Head to ground, butt in the air, purring, talking, and drooling.

What I will forever remember though, are his headbutts. If you were family and walked in the back door, he'd leap onto the dryer, cross the washing machine, and meow insistently in your face until you leaned down enough for him to headbutt you.

16 long years he stayed with us. Never the nicest cat. Never a lap kitty. But always a buddy. The last two took their toll in painful, visible ways. He dramatically lost all his weight. He'd seemingly have moments of confusion at times, forgetting where his litter box was, or unable to find people in the house. He'd have trouble keeping meals down.

The end was sudden. We took a weeklong vacation, and when we came home, he was lethargic and the thinnest we'd ever seen him. I think our departure threw him for a loop. Over the next week, he barely ate, he barely had the strength to move. It was painful to watch, and more painful still to make the decision to ease his passage. He went down swinging, ever the fighter, and got a good swipe at the vet.

Losing my Sam was devastating. I know the feelings well. It still hurts, but there's a happy ending I'm sure you'll one day find as well.

Less than a year later, my fiance sends me a series of text messages. There was a cat that was hanging around dispatch. He was very friendly. She sent pictures. He was adorable. Unfortunately, her boss had made the decision he had to "go". We didn't know what that meant, but it couldn't be good, so I told her to bring him home. And so in the middle of the night, she engineered his kidnapping.

Jasper is sitting beside me now. Jasper is almost never NOT sitting beside me. My wife may have rescued him, but he clings to me. He follows me everywhere. He's the perfect lap kitty. He's a clumsy fool. He's the single most vocal, talkative cat I've ever known. He's a ragdoll and his coat is the bushiest, silkiest, softest thing in the world, and I defy you to tell me otherwise.

I think Jasper knows I saved him, and that's why he sticks so closely to me. But I can never quite shake the feeling that Jasper is more than he appears. That maybe, just maybe, Sam came back as Jasper. And that maybe, just maybe, while he's pissed he came back, again, as a cat, he's overjoyed he found not just someone he knew in my wife, but he made his way back to his family.

This is a long winded way of saying, you'll never forget, but with time it'll get better.