Grasshopper 1994-2010

Last night when I heard her cries of pain, I knew it was time to let go of my cat, Grasshopper  http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/search?q=grasshopper.  Like everything else about her nothing was ever easy.  She was and remained to the end a difficult creature.  I knew this from the first day I got her and after sixteen years she went to the great kitty beyond pissed off and ready to do some serious damage.

I have always loved cats and it is a rare thing for a cat not to like me, so it is with heavy heart that I confess Grasshopper only tolerated me.  I was the person that feed her, gave her water, and when she was in the mood I was allowed to rub her behind the ears.  She did not like people, other cats, dogs, loud noises, the vet, wet cat food, and just about everything else.  I tried over the years to ingratiate myself to her, but only when she wanted something would she even consent to recognize I even existed.

The staff at the vets knew her as "that scary cat."  They could only work on her after she had been knocked unconscious.  Any treatment was done very quickly so they could get her in a cage before the anesthetic wore off.  This morning they all came through to pay their respect to the cat that always got the "use caution" sticker on her kennel.  I heard her howls of anger as they prepared her for the end, it only made me sob harder.

Despite her prickly behavior and aloof demeanor, I loved her very much.  She made me work harder to be a good pet parent. I had to learn to give with no expectations of any return of that care.  I was her companion, not the other way around and I am humbled by her spirit of independance even to the very end.  Her chair, the only thing I think she really loved, sits empty, I will miss the indifferent presence that sat there, not needing anything, but herself to be content.

Cat Fur Fotsam

Okay, I apologize for posting about one of my cats. I try not to because well cats are like kids, only interesting to the owners. BUT I will make an exception this once. To the right is my cat, Grasshopper. She is an older cat (and we never discuss a ladies age) so her coat gets a little, alright a lot, matted. She is such a diva that I can't get near her with a comb or scissors. Usually, I come back with a bloodied appendage when I try. This week she went to the spa and got a new do. As in the short and sassy look. The trim transmogrifies her personality. Her normally aloof demeanor falls away and she becomes Miss Congenility. It is kind of weird almost like getting a new cat. I think my favorite thing about the cut, called the lion cut, is the tuft at the end of her tail. It makes every swish a statement of epic proportions. I love how soft the shourn fur feels, like she has a velvet suit on. Anyway, I promise not to go overboard with kitty posts. And for the knitters out there I will not be having the removed fur spun into yarn so I can knit something sappy out of it. That is just a little to weird and cat fur smells funky when it is wet anyway. She was being very difficult about being photographed. I did not get a very good picture of her tuft, but I think you can get an idea from these shots. Next month my cat Dante gets the spa treatment, I wonder what it will do to his personality.