Tribute

Two years ago, a very loved and spoiled kitty left this world.

We went to the pet store (where the rescue organizations were displaying their eligible adoptees) fully intending to come home with a dog. And this big 8-year-old cat with big feet, which after much internet research we figured was a Ragdoll (although the foster mom said he was a Himalayan, but his face wasn't flat), fooled us by sitting quietly on our laps. Three hours and covered in three layers of fur later, we read and signed the paperwork, handed over the adoption fee, purchased the necessary cat paraphernalia, and went home.

Elvis (also called Mr. Elvis) was my 2nd kitty, wannabe dad's first. He was probably cursing the whole way home, having never had a cat, never thinking he would ever have a cat, but he never complained. Later on, as we both grew to love this kitty, wannabe dad would say "Did you ever think we would have a cat named Elvis?" with a huge smile on his face.

Elvis and wannabe dad were buddies. They kept each other company (wannabe dad worked from home). Elvis jumped up on the bed whenever wannabe dad tapped the side of the bed, and got in the habit of sleeping on wannabe dad's chest (all 16 lbs). Elvis would sit on my lap for hours and loved being held. Everyone who met him just loved his sweetness.

Kiss my belly!

Six months later during a vet visit to check out a sick Elvis, an ultrasound and xray revealed that he had a massive benign tumor attached to his liver. No wonder he "yelped" when I brushed him in a certain spot - the tumor was pushing his organs around. And his "belly" (which felt like harder than muscle) stuck out from the sides of him which was not normal. We had spent over $1K for the u/s and xray and weren't in a position to pay for the tumor removal. We decided to wait and see if the tumor would grow.

Over the course of the next five months we noticed that Elvis would meow really loudly right before using his litterbox. We took him in for another scan and sure enough the tumor was continuing to grow and push on his organs -- the organs were in strange places as shown on the xray. We scheduled the surgery, and wannabe dad had a bad feeling that morning. We gave Elvis lots of kisses but I didn't say a proper goodbye.

I love the sun.

I was off to work and after lunch, wannabe dad showed up at my office. He gave me the news and I promptly left work in tears. The vet was able to remove the tumor but it had so much blood in it that Elvis' heart gave out. They tried to revive him. Poor kitty! We felt awful, but were thankful that he didn't suffer any longer.

Wannabe dad had a tough time sleeping for the next few weeks. There was one night recently when I heard him tap on the side of the bed (he doesn't remember). So weird. We did that big guy right by rescuing three more kitties, and we hope that he's sending his kitty love to all of us from pet heaven.

My office gave me a gerbera daisy plant, which I think is still alive in the garden (haven't been outside lately!). It's a nice remembrance of such a nice kitty.

We love you, Mr. Elvis!