Nov 29, 2004 Today we said good-by to our dear "Jim" who has battled chronic renal failure for over a year now. He has been a consistently cheerful patient, insisting that all this fuss was not too much for him and he would endure yet another pill, liquid or fluid to help his failing kidneys go a bit longer, in fact, coming when called even though he knew it meant a needle stick when he arrived. His trust in us that we would care for him was unfailing. He was everyone's younger brother in the feline community, regardless of their age. The mantle of leadership sat uneasily on his shoulders and when Mr. Peepers, the alpha neuter, was sick for a while Jim fretted and worried, not knowing how to be in charge. He was much relieved when Mr. Peepers resumed the burden of command. He spent his days on his favorite perch of the cat tree, above, gazing out the back door watching the birds and other critters that lived there. He spent most nights lying on my leg until it went to sleep and then tangling himself in my legs until morning. In his youth he taught us that when dealing with cats one must think as a cat thinks. On a trip to a cat show which was many hours away by car I tried to provide him a large commodious carrier to travel in. He lasted about 30 minutes into the trip before he completely lost control of himself and wet all over the carrier. He then traveled the rest of the way happily in a covered litter box. The lesson was that cats don't like large commodious carriers, they like small defensible spaces that make them feel safe. Jim was a handsome boy with perfect show markings and a wonderful strong muzzle that I wish I could get in all my cats. I had great hopes that he would grow up to be a fine stud but when his hormones came in he was the most uncomfortable of cats, completely lacking the confidence required for a stud. Normally hormones give the confidence required but not in his case. He was so relieved when he was neutered and no longer had the responsibility for all those hormones. We will miss his sweet uncomplicated personality. Paul always said that Jim was doing complex math problems when he would look blankly at us. His other friends he leaves behind are Mr. Peepers, who was very upset when Jim didn't return from the vet today, Scarlet who will now have complete ownership of the lowest point on the totem pole, Willow and Ava, the girls he knew, and Doonie to whom he nodded daily. Now that he is the newest resident of our cat memory garden he joins Duchess, Prinze and Duke and Birmans Sunny, Tai, Rebel and Willa. I'm sure they are all waiting for him at the Rainbow Bridge. Have fun there, Jim, and I'll save my knee for you when I one day join you. For more information on Feline Chronic Renal Failure, please visit http://www.felinecrf.com/
|