Filbert “Mouse” Sansone
August 8, 1999 – May 1, 2006
Certainly, Filbert, to me, was the finest of cats. I met him on a beautiful fall day in October 1999 as he played with my best friend Betty’s pets. Sienna, my poodle, seemed to like him and he fit into our household easily. Of course, we had never owned a kitten, so the shredded armchairs and scraped wall paper was a first. Such a cute little fur ball of a kitten that grew into this long, plush bundle of long luxurious, golden hair. He was a handsome feline.
From the beginning, Filbert had a hard time being a cat. He was terrible at grooming, the litter box was never to his liking and he didn’t enjoy the window seat or other lookouts that my former elegant cat, Katz did. Despite the naysayers, I did not give up on him and patiently re-trained him on his litter box and cleaned after his messes. And, he didn’t jump up on the counters or chase toys like my current kitty, the boomerang, Bianco; He preferred to be under the bed, especially when anyone other than me was in the house. I could coax him into fetching a furry mouse (only toy he liked of the many bought). “Mouse” became his nickname because he would come to me when I said the word, knowing he would get to play. He did enjoy carousing with Sienna. He didn’t mind her grabbing his ears or pulling him by the tail across the room. And I would delight to watch him chase her when he tired of her antics. He never jumped in my lap, but was happy to be there if I picked him up. What he liked most was to get right up to my face on the kitchen table when I read my newspaper. Then he’d flop over to be petted. He wasn’t an outdoor cat, but heartily enjoyed being carried around outside or sitting in my lap observing nature’s wonders. He learned quickly that Sienna wouldn’t cuddle. In my bed, he would lie along
side me on one side; she the other.
He was the sweetest of cats, so laid back. I was so delighted that he put up with my eccentric penchant for staging pet photos. He was especially cooperative on the birthday photos, eating his cake and avoiding the flame of the birthday candle. He donned Santa and New Year’s hats, a St. Patrick’s Day derby, and even a Mickey Mouse jogging suit for the “cat’s pajamas” greeting card. I could always count on him to stay where I placed him, even if it was next to cranky Sienna. Sadly, a lot of his misbehavior, I know now, was because of his ill health, his tummy must have bothered him a lot. He had been such a comfort to me during turbulent times; I was not prepared for his departure. No, he wasn’t the perfect cat, but my commitment to be his pet Mom was for his life, albeit a short one of six years. The unconditional love of a pet is one of
God’s greatest blessings and blessed I was, indeed.
With love,
| Filbert Sansone |
| 1, May 2006 |
| Rita Maria Sansone |