Tuesday evening Rascal curled up as usual on our bed, lying on his back and purring while I rubbed his tummy. At 3:30 am he wanted out, despite the fact that it was raining. It was the last time we would see him.
Rascal was missing for two days, by the end of which we feared the worst. I found him this afternoon down by the lake in the edge of our neighbor’s yard. There didn’t appear to be any trauma. I think his heart just gave out.
Rascal was out special needs cat. He started life at my parent’s house in Gray Court. When my dad opened the door to his storage shed two kittens tumbled out. Dad’s dog immediately pounced and wound up crushing Rascal’s paw. I took both cats home with me, and after multiple vet visits, Rascal began to heal.
Because of his hurt leg Rascal had arthritis and had a hard time moving about and exercising. He put on too much weight. A couple of years ago he re-injured his leg and needed a titanium plate put in. Unfortunately, he also developed a heart murmur. We just didn’t know how bad it was.
As with most cats, Rascal had developed quirky personality traits that gave him character. He had weirdness, such as his love of our shoes – the stinkier, the better.
He was also generally referred to around our house as “my” cat, mainly because he would curl up next to me whenever he could. In addition to rolling over at night, he would hop up in my lap when I had my morning coffee.
Rascal is survived by his sister, Misty, and adopted brother, Shadow. He will definitely be missed.
Beautiful.
What a beautiful Tabby!
Back home, we have a cat (Tiger) who is a tabby, and nearing the end of his career. He fought his way up to being THE tom on the farm, ruled with an iron claw, and now is having to watch his step because he has been badly bested lately. It’s the normal cycle of outside cats, but it can be tough to watch. Not long ago, he walked around like a prize fighter in top form. Now he walks closer to the ground and is more tentative.
beautiful cat and writing.
One must have cats as lifelong pets to truly appreciate the beauty of this story and its pictures. I feel the pain of a void in your heart. I’ve had many to go away too–Ruffles, Dutchboy come to mind–both went away to die. I guess they thought it’d be easier to handle. Currently I have Alaska, Bentley, and Willow. All three very different in nature. Alaska is now going on 19, and she is such an evil witch now 90% of the time. I suppose old age does that. But she sill will climb into the lap and demand to be loved once a day. I too have pictures of my pets–they are all three distinctively different. Bentley is 11 years old and Willow is just 13 months old. B & W are males, and I swear Willow thinks he’s a dog. I enjoyed reading about your pets and seeing the pictures–thanks for sharing and humoring me by reading about my pets. From one SC Blogger to another–Cathy.
Cathy – thanks for sharing. When Laura and I married she had two cats. They both reached the ripe old age of 20 before passing on. We’ve got another one that’s about 15, and we expect him to go before Rascal did.