November 2002 - as is our usual habit, we trekked over to the local pet store in San Mateo to buy bird treats for our parakeets - Maui & Kauai. In front of the store, the "Pets in Need" organization had kittens & cats on display for adoption. The Captain & I had discussed having a pet on a few occasions, always coming to the conclusion that it would affect the ease of traveling at the last minute- not to mention the expense and additional upkeep. But there was a particular cat that caught the Captain's eye (and heart as it happened) … and he found himself wandering back to his crate a couple of times to check him out & ask questions about his circumstance.
As life would have it … the Captain had started
working out of town more, and was thinking twice about having a little extra companionship for "his princess". HOWEVER, it meant he needed to qualify as an adoptive pet parent- and the Captain would have no part of that … he decided he wanted this cat, and that was that. I will not bore you with how the story played out- other than to tell you shortcuts were awarded us, as it appeared obvious that this particular cat wanted "us" too. He was trapped as a feral cat a few weeks before, and tagged as approximately 2 years old, & a flame point siamese … which someone had mistakenly named Charlie. It took a long while- but with a LOT of patience on our end- this fella captured our hearts and made it quite obvious he was in our lives to stay.
He changed a lot over the years… from nearly pure white except tinges of rust on the edges of his ears and rings on his tail … to the "yellow kitty"(one of the Captain's nicknames for him) seen here … but those crisp blue eyes have remained the way into his soul … so clear & loving, and strong. The past couple of years he has mellowed significantly, even opening up to visitors to the house … and some of the routines he & the captain developed are almost comical. THEY truly became buddies with a language shared between the two of them that was obvious to everyone. Some minor health issues have popped up over the years- but never anything that indicated he would be leaving us so soon. OR so quickly.
Whether it was complications of issues yet undiscovered, or simply his time to leave us- is unanswered (and frankly unimportant at this point) … but his body was telling him, and perhaps warning us with it's changes … that it was coming. We found him to be particularly affectionate & loving the past few days, including some attention paid to the grandkids who have always adored a chance to pet him … and he awarded them with that privilege several times. It was more difficult than I expected, and the timing far from ideal no matter how one tries to justify it … but he was allowed to go peacefully after a lot of stroking and kitty kisses. I loved our big lion so (another name he was partial to). Monkey has yet to settle down and relax… she seems to be awaiting his return from the vet, with plans to hiss at him for not smelling the same as before he left. But this time he won't be returning. I'm hoping Pa is "out there" encouraging him to hop upon his lap as he did a couple of times- MUCH to all of our amazement… it's what I choose to think about in between tears and pangs of guilt for what I coulda/shoulda done for him. He was a beautiful, precious boy and will be greatly missed. Nite Nite Popoki.
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