This is Black Pearl. We got him when we got my first kitten (Tigger). I contend I was maybe 8 years old? Not sure. Jenny was not supposed to get a kitten, but the friend of the family who was bringing me my kitty tucked this little black kitten in as well. When Jenny saw him, her eyes lit up and Mom didn't have the heart to take him away from her. And so both brothers joined our family.
We already had a middle aged lady cat (Slim) who my parents got shortly before I was born. I'm not sure why my parents thought that they should get a kitten and a baby at the same time, but I'm gonna blame Mom's hormonal status. (Feel free to deny it in the comments, Mom!) Anyway, Slim was not amused by these two new additions and proceeded to beat the heck out of them whenever they tried to play with her. They thought this was mostly fun. After a while, she learned to tolerate them and use them for their body heat.Slim passed when I was 16 and off visiting colleges. She had been slowly succumbing to renal
failure for years. Tigger passed very suddenly when I was in college. At the time, I didn't really know what happened, but now I wonder if he had pneumonia and a thoracentesis resulting in pneumothorax. So Pearl became last cat standing. He and Judit (the dog) developed a lovely camaraderie, especially when they were both playing in the yard.I took these pictures last June, when I was at my parents' house for my sister's graduation. At this point, he was old (16? 17?), but reasonably happy and healthy. Over the past 6 months or so, he has not been so happy or healthy. I'll spare you the details, but things were not working like they should have been. And yesterday, he passed.
It isn't tragedy, but it is very, very sad. He had a good life with lots of laps and treats and pets. And now he is with the rest of his kitty family. I've been giving my kitties here in Cleveland extra pats and forgiving their presents that they leave us in hairball season.
And here's my Eunny Jang Deep V Argyle Vest. It's my offering of creation to give this some sense of balance. I love Knit Picks Merino Style. Cheap and slow to pill. I look coy in the picture because there is wind in my face and, well, because I'm kind of coy.
4 comments:
RIP Tiger. Our kitty has FIV and we are happy with each year she is around to annoy us (well J).
I am sorry but I had to laugh at this comment: but now I wonder if he had pneumonia and a thoracentesis resulting in pneumothorax
What a nerdy thing to say about your late cat... It's the same reaction J has when someone tells him their baby has a rare disease. He has to FORCE himself to first say "I'm sorry to hear that" instead of "cool! Thats like 1 in 100K cases!"
I remember all of your kitties...they were all good friends. I feel sorry for Judit now...hopefully she adjusts well to being a singleton.
The Eunny Jang Argyle is absolutely stunning! (As is the coy model!)
oh my little cat looked the same but with green eyes !! so sweet :)
So, just to set the record(s) straight - We got Slim a month after we got you, but she was a month older. And the official reason for the timing was we finally lived in a place that allowed cats. Tigger did have pneumothorax, though we don't know if it was result of a pneumonia or a cancer. And Dad didn't have the heart to send Pearl back home with Mr. Lawrence, either - not just me! It's fun to think of all three of them, isn't it?
(Is there really a non-hairball season?)
Post a Comment