Toby was a small kitten when we rescued him from the local humane society back in May, 1989. He was upside-down in his food dish being silly and we instantly knew he was the one for us.
It didn’t take Toby long to become an amazing part of our family. He was never meant to be an outside kitty but one day his curiosity got the best of him and he broke through a screen and escaped outside. From that day on, Toby was like a little dog, meowing to go outside and pawing on the sliding glass door when he wanted to come back in. He never wandered further than our little neighbor block.
Toby was not much of a hunter but he enjoyed watching the birds and the squirrels. His greatest hunting adventure was running to the BBQ grill and waiting for pieces of meat to magically fall from it. Toby also loved perfume or deodorant and loved to lick and
taste the wonderful smell.
Toby was very passionate and loved his family dearly. He always knew when one of us wasn’t feeling well, was sad, or was recuperating from surgery. He stayed by our side until we felt better and always made sure we were never alone. He loved to hug and cuddle. He also loved to bury himself amongst the blankets. We always had to be careful when sitting on the bed…you never knew if a “lump” in the blankets was Toby.
Toby’s favorite game was called “Stop-It”. One day he was “sharpening” his claws (actually he was rubbing with his claws as he was declawed)on a new chair and we yelled at him to “stop it”. The more we yelled the faster Toby would sharpen. It quickly became a game that Toby loved to play to get our attention.
Toby had several illnesses through his 17 years but the one that ended it all was a severe bladder infection. He became “plugged” and couldn’t urinate even after catherization and antibiotics. The vet thought it was either bladder stones or a bladder tumor. Surgery to remove the stones or tumor would be extensive and probably too much for Toby to bear. We couldn’t stand seeing him suffer so we made the decision to have him put to sleep.
Friday, December 15, 2006, was one of the worst days of our lives. On that day we buried the best cat we had ever had, a wonderful companion and a great friend.
We love you, Toby, and we will never forget you.
| Toby |
| Don, Marie & Stephanie Crapoff |