Posted on 09/19/2005 7:39:40 AM PDT by PetroniDE
Thread is on time this week (well, at least closer to on-time that recent performance). Still chaos at work, and tropical storm Rita (heading toward Texas) will likely not help matters. I did get a chance to watch a little football. Based on the early performances, this season is another crazy one.
SEC Fans – Watch Out. Vanderbilt is 3-0 and 2-0 against the SEC West.
How ‘Bout Dem Cowboys ?
Notre Dame lost. Time for a higher calling for football coach. 
Loyal NFL Sunday Ticket Customer. All Games Covered.
That is HILARIOUS!
What in the world is he jumping after?!!!
Levitating kitty ping!
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Kitty Ping List alert!
[Freepmail me to get on or off the Kitty Ping List.]
thanks for ping s/a.. your stuff is always fun (well most of time - now & then tissue alert )..appreciate you!
I love these threads! Thanks for getting my mind off my troubles for a few!
My brother lost 2 cats recently and he wrote this about "Mr. Dependable."
Who knows when or where old Tom was born. He was a newborn once, and
his mother was proud of him. Like all babies, the new world was full of
wonder. He came to live with me in 1998 and it was apparant he had a
home at one time. He was full grown and had a few battle scars. Also,
he had been neutered, letting me know at one time, he had a home. Well,
now
he had another one. He wanted more. He wanted to be an indoor cat.
This cat managed to scale the walls of my house, claw out the screen
covering the vents under the eaves in my house, and crawl into the
attic. From there he was able to find the little
hatch that some of us have in our closet, pry it open, jump into the
closet, open the door to my bedroom, and get in bed with me. He did this
many times. I am sure I am the only person in the world, that has #23
hardware cloth, covering those openings.
After he gave up on being an indoor cat, he settled into the routine of
being an outdoor cat. Everytime I would come home, day or night, he
would be in the driveway waiting for me. Rain or shine. I started
calling him "Mr. Dependable". You could always count on him to be
wherever you were. If I looked out the back door in the morning, he
was looking at me. If I walked around to the front door, he was looking
at me. If I looked out of the bedroom window, he was looking at me. It
was almost scarey how he could be so many places at one time. Mr.
Dependable. Trying to think back, he saw me bury 5 or 6 cats, including
his pal, Meeko. Some were long time pets, some were just visiting. He
never reached the heights of Meeko as a favorite, but he did not care.
He was happy to get a couple of pats on the head each day.
A real treat is when I would sit out back on nice evenings, and sit with
him a while. The last few days, I made it a special point, to do just
that. For several days, he could not eat or drink very much due to
swelling in his throat and tongue. He even had a hard time purring. It
sounded like a car that needed a tune up. We waited in the vets office
for about 20 minutes and he got a lot of head scratches from strangers
while laying in my lap, with his chin resting on my hand. Every few
minutes, he would turn his head and look at me, just to see if I was
still there. When the time came to see the doctor, he was really
brave. I would not have expected any less from "Mr. Dependable". She
explained that he had a tumor under his tongue. And they are very
agressive. I asked if it would do any good to remove it, and again she
told me it was very agressive. So, the tough decision was made. I did
not let my selfish feelings get in the way of what was right for him.
Sure I would miss him. But what was right for him was much more
important than my sorrow. She first gave him a shot to relax him, and
then left the room for a few minutes. He knew what was going to
happen. His glazed, sunken eyes became bright again. He purred more
loudly than ever. And smiled again. And then closed his eyes.
He is not gone, just in a different place, like we all hope to be. Like
a newborn again. Who knows when or where old Tom was born. He was a
newborn once, and his mother was proud of him. Just like a baby again,
his new world is full of wonder.
Goodbye to Mr Dependable.
Thank you very much! (I'd reply more quickly, but one arm is full of purring kitty!)
What a beautiful tribute to Mr. Dependable. I loved reading it. *sniff*
Reminds me of my tomcat, Fuzzball. Showed up in my neck of the woods a couple of years ago, a grown cat but not very big, kind of worn. Fed him (and a few others) after I saw them eating out of the compost. He and the female had a couple of litters before I could catch them and get them neutered. He would never let us get near him even to pat him.
But now he's mellowed out and I can even pick him up, for a minute. He loves to rub his head on my legs, and if I even look at him he'll roll around on his back with happiness. I tell him how fortunate he was that he came to my house. Some people just shoot unwanted cats.
He's really muscuclar since he's had to fend for himself for so long. He won't come in the house - just peeks in now and then - but we built a nice cat house and it's on the porch, with old sweaters in it.
Cats are just like people with cat suits.
RIP Mr. Dependable.
"Cats are just like people with cat suits."
I love that!
Cute! Thanks, Jack. :-)
How sad. Just curious why he couldn't have at least been an indoor/outdoor cat?
Wow!
That was really cute...and very true.
Angel.............. our kittie............. looks the same!
Introducing Rocky, he's about 5 months old. We got him from a nearby farm. Our two sons drive him absolutely nuts and this picture was snapped while he perched on his favorite 'Need to get away from the little monsters' spot.
Hey! You're playing Earth and Beyond!
Obviously, this cat just got shoved OFF of the counter.
I was back then. Now I'm playing EVE Online - very similar.
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