Best Memories, Buddy posted 8/13/19

Grumpy Old Man Cat!

It's been 9 days since my last blog update. In that time, a new school year started, which is always a busy time as a public school employee. On top of the normal chaos of August, one of our house pets, Buddy, began losing weight rapidly. We started feeding him kitten food but he stopped eating that after a day. The vet offered appetite enhancer, but that also only worked for a day. Buddy stopped eating, stopped headbutting us, stopped doing much of anything besides showing us how miserable he was.

Several vet appointments and uncomfortable procedures later, we made that dreaded decision to give him peace instead of surgery, feeding tubes, and regular enemas for the rest of his life. 16 years on this planet, the last 12 in a loving home... he'll be missed.

By coincidence, we were fostering tiny Liberty in Buddy's last 2 weeks of life. Buddy mostly ignored the kittens, but she seemed to recognize the resemblance when he visited the kitten pen. The mini-floof is much more social than Buddy, but shares his sweet nature.

My husband went to a shelter 12 years ago, looking for a feline companion. A single computer geek with the awkward social skills of a typical nerd, he specifically sought out an older cat that would keep him company but not need to be trained or entertained while he worked (graduate student working on his doctorate at the time). He meowed and pranced for attention. He spotted a "gray blob" in a corner cage and peered in. 4 year old Buddy sat and simply stared at him with little interest.

The hubby asked to see him, and when they opened his kennel, Buddy walked past him, ignoring him, to explore the area. Sensing a kindred spirit, the hubby took Buddy home.

They enjoyed a very quiet life, particularly as Buddy never learned to meow or purr. He'd open his mouth soundlessly and could occasionally make something resembling a wet hack in place of a purr. His loudest action was grooming.

I didn't believe the husband when he said Buddy woke him up by licking his fur until I flew out to meet them. Sure enough, the first morning I was there, I woke up to a gray shadowy figure next to my head, loudly slurping up his fur in my ear. When he wanted attention, he'd either give us a head butt, paw gently at our cheek, or sit and stare at us until we noticed him.

Buddy traveled with his sister, Daisy, and his owner from Massachusetts to California in Summer 2013, when his quiet life changed drastically. He discovered, to his initial horror, large floofs called "dogs". My collection of cats (5 at the time) were EXTREMELY social and lacked the concept of personal space.

Gradually, Buddy learned to tolerate cuddles- both from his humans and his cat family. We'd both get excited when we spotted a "Buddy on the Bed!" instead of hanging out in the front room with his sister. My cats had a habit of cat-piling on the bed, especially when we were sleeping. In his final years, Buddy would carve out a spot for himself when he wanted the company, much to our delight.

I've always adopted kittens, but I'm so glad my husband opened his heart and home to an older cat. Buddy, in his own way, still had a lot of love to give.

I've got some more pictures and stories to post for the foster kittens and will update things this weekend!