July 9, 1995- A litter of kittens were born in a house somewhere in Winnipeg. Among the kittens in this litter, a small solid black little boy with huge paws and large green eyes. He lived with his birth mother until September, 1995 when he was turned into the Humane society as all his other brothers and sisters had found adopted parents but no one seemed to want him.
At about this same time period, a woman in her early 20s had just finished College and was to embark on a new career when she felt a need to adopt a fur baby to love. Her apartment allowed cats as long as they weren’t seen, heard or smelled so off on her journey to find a kitten, thinking in her head she wanted a little female grey tabby.
Her journey took her to the Humane Society in Winnipeg on September 18, 1995 when she went into the adoption area to see who was in need of a new mom. At the end of the cages was a little grey tabby but when she got there it was made obvious that another adoptive parent wanted her more as she was waiting for the final adoption papers to go through.
Meanwhile this lady felt the need to continue looking that day and spent time giving cuddles to many lonely looking kittens when all of a sudden a small black paw caught her jacket. There he was a tiny black kitten with huge green eyes meowed at her for attention. So out he came for his share of cuddles. Well…that lady didn’t need to look anymore; she had found what she wanted in a tiny little black boy. Love was growing almost instantly as he nuzzled and purred in her ear. He even gave his soon to be adopted uncle a high 5 which impressed the man very much. That evening the lady returned with her room mate to introduce her to this little guy and since male cats don’t have much positive said about them the room mate wasn’t to thrilled but once she saw the 2 of them together found it hard to refuse. The papers were drawn up and on September 20, 1995 the adoption was final. The now 10 week old had a new mom and a family created.
A curious little fellow he roamed his new home including the garbage can which he found to be so much fun…That with this little scowl on his brow made it an instant known fact he would be named Oscar, after the Sesame Street grouch and that name plus many nicknames would stick his whole life.
We moved on to another apartment that October and were welcomed by new room mates who spoiled him as much as his mother. He was still curious, climbing everywhere and biting the tip of Mom’s nose to wake her up to play during the early morning hours. We prepared to celebrate our first Christmas together but the tree went down early because he just had to climb that silly thing and eat the little ornaments. He was also introduced to snow which he so did not like. Then this curious little fellow wanted to know what a poinsettia plant tasted like and after a tumble down the stairs, stayed over night at the emergency vets while he got to taste charcoal to clean all the poison out. He was the only kitten there so he got run of the climbing tree they had there.
January, 1996 and another move back home for this new mom. But Oscar wasn’t welcome but Grandma offered a temporary place for the little man to stay, off to the country March, 1996. A relationship between Grandma and Oscar grew so wide. He loved an orange afghan she knitted for the back of a chair. Suckling it and dragging it all over the place. He also go to go on the step with a harness and leash, although more that able many times to escape it and roam in the bush. Oscar provided many gifts to his Grandma. Dragon flies, voles, birds and once a live baby chipmunk. In October, 1997 Mom joined them in the country as a job lead her out that way. More fun was had; he was loved by so many out there. The neighbors spoiled him, and he was such a good cat sitting on Grandma’s lap in the car on the annual
vet checkups and vaccinations.
At one point he got out of his harness and went exploring, we suspect he ran into a bear we later found out was so near to out place. Something scared him up a tree where his collar got caught. If he didn’t have a breakaway collar he would have hung himself. He came home 2 days later after a frantic Mom and Grandma worried over him and hid for days. It wasn’t until the next summer when a good neighbor found his collar high in a tree that we were able to piece together what happened.
September, 2001 another move, back to Winnipeg as Grandma had decided she needed to be in a senior’s apartment. In a new place we settled, our first morning turned out to be the devastating 9/11, we watched the TV all day together as Mom was on holidays from work. Oscar is 6 years old now and we have also been a family that same number of years.
October, 2001 Oscar begins to urinate outside the litter box. At first Mom thinks he is acting out behaviorally from the move and disciplines him. But even with the correction, he continues so a trip to the vet comes along only to find out he has developed a bladder infection from crystals in his urine that were also starting to block his ureters. Immediate surgery to clear the ureter was required and in 3 days he came home from the hospital. But only the weekend passed and he voided bloody urine in the bath tub so back to the vet for another procedure.
Time goes by and in November, 2002 we lose Grandma to lung cancer. I think Oscar knew she was gone as he seemed to mourn along side me. When we moved, she gave him that orange blanket he loved so much and for a long time, he slept on it…About this time also we discovered “Fat cat” toys with organic catnip and from this point on Oscar will not play with any other toys…
April, 2005 Oscar’s mom isn’t doing so well, she is very stressed out and grieving the loss of her beloved Grandma and now her maternal Grandfather has passed away. Being at a stressful job for 10 years she had also begun to burn out. By June of that year, she became very ill. Acute stress disorder with panic attacks was the diagnosis. She was put on 24 hour watch and had to stay with a family member or friend or face an admission to a hospital. Luckily very good friends that lived close to her place were willing to take her in as Brenda did not work. Daily counseling and daily trips to visit Oscar for loves and feedings of soft food went on for 1 month and he never seemed to mind, patiently waiting for Mom to come home. The visits were longer and in August, 2005 Mom came back home. Oscar stayed with her, watching over her. If she cried, he’d lie at her feet. He’d sleep in her bed with her and watch TV with her. He watched her every move.
July 9, 2005 Oscar turned 10. The vet who took care of him with his bladder problems said since he was at such a young age to develop that kind of problem I’d be lucky if he saw 10, well here we are!
August, 2005 I went on a day trip with friends and upon our return, they dropped me off and continued on home, well! Oscar was so put off that he chatted and chatted at me until I picked up the phone and called Brenda and told her someone needed to talk to her, he proceeded to meow at her as if he was getting after her for not visiting him!!
September, 2005 we are a family now for 10 years! I started nursing school. I was considered to be well enough to begin this journey although Oscar was none to happy I was no longer home all day. Once again he helped Mom through the tough times of a very hectic program loving her all the way. Shortly after beginning school he got sick again and needed a trip to the vets only to find out he was very constipated. But we also learned a cat never forgets as he was not the most polite patient, biting and hissing at the vet and nurses.
October, 2007 Mom finished nursing school and gets hired right away; Oscar seems to sense the relief and enjoys the new toys and a more relaxed Mom. Life is good; no more bladder problems only weight problems for both Mom and her fur baby.
July 9, 2008 we celebrate Oscar’s 13th birthday, funny that a black cat and 13 Mom thinks how cool! New toys and a plate of yummy sardines for a birthday treat. But Oscar is showing signs of aging; he is sleeping more and seems to be slowing down. Mom puts it in the back of her head and watches him and loves him
as she always has.
July 29, 2008 Mom notices her baby has urinated in his cat bed, not a good sign. She wonders if he is sick again or if it is behavior since new furniture has entered the apartment. The nurse ant the vet’s office encourages Mom to bring Oscar in the next day to check his urine to rule out crystals before surgery is required.
We have an appointment for 8:30.
July 30, 2008 we show up at the vets on time, he yowls all the way in the car and in the waiting room. Once in the exam room we meet a very nice nurse and vet. Oscar is weighed at 9.2kg and information is taken. Oscar becomes angry and scared and requires the nurse to bundle him in a blanket. Once he wiggles lose I picked him up and we cuddled and talked. He expressed displeasure while I tried to encourage him to be a good boy and let the vet check him out and make him better. I never said it before but Oscar never quite meowed, he squeaks like a mouse
I leave Oscar at the vets in the most capable and caring hands giving permission to sedate him for an abdominal x-ray, blood work and a urinalysis. At 9:52 am my phone rang, it was the vet. When the nurse went to Oscar’s cage to get him for sedation, he was gone. Apparently he went into cardiac arrest and passed away. I was in shock; the vet was so beside herself trying to explain all this to me. She offered to do a post mortem to my refusal as it wouldn’t bring him back. I requested cremation, especially with his orange blanket which I dropped off. When I went in to give them the blanket, they gave me a copy of the poem “Rainbow Bridge” with his paw print on it. I also found out that poor nurse was so beside herself she had to go home. I then went to Brenda’s for a good long cry because I had just lost my best friend and life as I knew it was over. He was my side kick, my little man, my baby and my “stinky” I don’t know why I called him stinky, I just did…
SO I am writing this tribute as a part of dealing with my grief. I am 4 days after losing him and don’t spend much time at home. I have started to put his things away but slowly. I will get there eventually.
As for another fur baby- maybe but not right now. No one will take his place or be like him ever. How could I be so lucky to have a beautiful personality in such a cat, he let me brush him, cut his nails, clean his ears…As long as I loved him with all my heart he gave to me what he knew I needed. That’s why I am convinced he chose to die the way he did, he wasn’t well and I think he knew having to decide to put him to sleep would have shattered me even more than this did…
I didn’t go in to see him, my last memories are hold him, hugging him as he squeaked and telling him to please be a good boy
for the vet and for his Mom…
So now he is at that rainbow, chasing Dragonflies with his orange blanket with Grandma. It’s her turn now…
Good night baby,
| Oscar |
| Teresa |