Saturday, June 14, 2008

IN MEMORY OF TONY

It is with deepest sadness that we record that our beloved cat Tony, passed away on Monday morning June 9, 2008. Since we have chosen not to have ‘human’ children, we have always considered him our "furry son" and often simply called him "our baby". Tony was our loving companion and an inextricable part of our family for 14 years. We have mourned his loss as we would mourn the loss of any other close member of our immediate family. Although 14 years of age is considered by many to be an advanced age for a feline, until his recent and sudden ill-health this past month, he always seemed to us to be young and vibrant, with many years of life left to lead. That, of course, makes his passing that much more difficult for us to accept. We’re still not quite sure exactly what the cause was, and unfortunately we may never know for sure. The exact details of his recent downward spiral are set forth in our last posting, and we really don’t have much to add. One saving grace is that he did not appear to be in any pain throughout the period of his recent ill-health. We only wish it would have been possible to somehow prevent or reverse whatever it was. But despite our best efforts ….

Anyone and everyone who had ever seen Tony, always complimented how cute (handsome) he was. The color, texture, fullness and sheen of his fur was amazing, and we always said he looked like a little gray bobcat. Or, more amusing, we believed he might be attractive to the Raccoons that used to frequently visit our former Fox Lake roof and bedroom windows late at night. Kind of thought it might be a "Peppy Le Pew" sort of situation (remember the cartoon of the skunk in love with the cat?). But beyond his physical appearance, Tony’s intelligence and personality were truly one of a kind. He really did seem to understand a good deal of human language and learned things very quickly. Somewhat rare/unique for a cat, he was certainly not "aloof", and instead always wanted to be with us in whatever room we might be in, and lay or sit alongside us, on us, or between our legs, whether we were sitting in a chair, lying on a couch, or in bed. Even when it came to feeding, when we were at home, he would almost never eat unless we personally accompanied him to his bowl. While sometimes a little annoying it was also endearing.

Since he was front-declawed we considered him to be an "indoor kitty, with outdoor privileges", allowing him some limited outdoor time in our various yards usually only on Saturday and Sunday mornings. But he loved his outdoor time, and despite being front-declawed never got "into trouble" as far as fighting with any other cats. In our last apartment before moving out of the country, we didn’t have a yard to let him out, so instead we would bring him to local parks. And to our own as well as every observer’s amazement, Tony would actually walk with us off his leash following behind 10-20ft or so, and enjoying a walk with us through the park.

Regrettably Tony will not be able to share the joys with us on our continuing world journey. We had intended and hoped that he might have that opportunity for at least a few more years. But he will certainly always be there in our hearts, We are consoled by the belief that he had a good life with us … albeit prematurely ended.

Tony, we both loved you a lot; you will be sorely missed and never forgotten.

Your "mummy and daddy", Nancy & Bob




1 comment:

tom said...

sorry to hear about your kitty,expecialy early on your trip.Icould not believe he went to the park with you,that was great

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