So Long, It´s Been Good to Know You

But I want all my friends here to know I did it MY way, always. I´ve always said I was street smart and knew what I was doing. I made my mom respect my wishes and let me OUT out when I wanted to go. Today was the most beautiful day we´ve had all year and I only wanted to go check the hood while she was at the store.

But I had a very quick argument with a car and the car won. I am now Somewhere Over the Rainbow, meowing for my old friend Trixie, who was adopted by mom from the shelter with me, to come and give a guy a whisker lick and welcome him to cat heaven.

No coyote took me and made my mom call and cry for me for months. A little boy on a bike saw me get hit by the car and went around to all the houses knocking doors to see who´s kitty had been killed. The neighbor man put me in a cardboard box, very respectfully, and covered me with a tarp.

When Mom got home from the store, he told her a cat had been killed and she had a bad feeling it was me, while hoping that my street smarts had paid off once again and it wasn´t me after all. Truth is, she´d have been almost as sad if it had been any cat, and truth is, though I will not to admit to any unselfish bones, in my body,

I am almost 15 years old, have been on maintenance doses of vetalog and amoxydrops all my life for an ulcerative digestive auto immune disease. My kidneys would have got me pretty soon anyway, and that´s a hard way to go. So maybe better me than some sweet young cat huh?

The neighbor man carried me back to our house for Mom and laid me in the solarium so my bros could say goodbye. Pancho, thanks for taking a final sniff and not getting in a last lick at the same time. Enjoy the wet cat food while it lasts cause Mom only bought that for ME, you know. She just had to let you guys have some to be fair. Cisco, thanks for freakin´ out, Super Boy. I didn´t know you cared. Kittibits, my dear old friend, you didn´t come out to see me but you don´t have to stand at the window or the door yelling at mom to let me in or go looking for me. She knows where I am now and I´m not ever coming in again, buddy. Keep your mats to remember me by.

Mom, I loved you for rescuing me. I was a grown cat when you found me at the pound and I´d have been a goner a long time ago if you hadn´t brought me home and cared for me and made me take the stupid medicine. I know, I know, I should have listened when you told me the enclosure was good enough for everybody else, why not me, but I needed to go OUT out. I have always been a ramblin´ boy by nature and I´ve always come home to you, even today, sort of.

Uncle Jolly, you were the best surrogate dad a cat could have. I loved how you petted me and petted me and let me nuzzle you and drool on you before you got me to take my meds when Mom was gone, then we had another love fest till time for you to feed me. Thanks for petting my bod and then giving me a good burial with kind words and for helping my mom say bye.

Uncle Tony the vet, I would never have lasted as long as I did without your kindness and care. You are a friend to cats, dogs and all creatures and a credit to your profession. I´m definitely putting in a word for you and Jeannette with the Big Guy.

See all you cats and kittens and kitty lovers on the flip side or maybe I will see if some lovely cat in my town is having kittens and go be one and then saunter back home again and find my mom and my bros. You never know about these things.

Purrrs to you all, from your now rainbow cat friend, Treat. I have seen the light!

Congratulations on becoming Cat of the Week. Now that you are behind the rainbow, what is the one thing that you miss?

What is your best memory?

Who was/is the most important person for you and why?

What do you consider your greatest achievement during your lifetime?

What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you?

What is /was your greatest passion?

What wisdom would you like to share with other cats on Unitedcats site?

You are not going to believe this but I miss fighting with my mom over having to take my pink medicine every night. As old as it got having to take it every single night, I noticed a long time ago how much worse I felt and how much sorer my mouth was if I DID manage to dodge her, and though I couldn't let on, I knew she only hassled me about it because she loved me. As of course she should have done.

I have two and they're both about coming home. When Mom came to find Trixie at the shelter and I kept reaching my paw out of the cage for her to pay attention to me, I really didn't think she would. Older cats aren't that popular, you know? And I was a full grown tom by then. But I guess she liked my cattitude because she took me and Trixie both. The second time was when i first came home at 3 AM after having been locked in someone's stinky old oily garage for three weeks   after a cat fight. Hurting, no pink medicine, and where I found enough food or water to stay alive is still a mystery. But I made it back and at three AM, Mom is sitting in the solarium working on stuff and all I have to say is "meow" and my door is open and I am IN and she's fussing over me. Then of course, the nightmare began, the bath, the vet, and those wretched kittens--she'd had to get two to replace me! (they're now fat cats Pancho and Cisco). And on top of that, my pal Kittibits, who I'd missed SO much, wouldn't even speak to me! I think he was mad about the kittens too.

Mom and Kittibits, not necessarily in that order. Mom because she did the things that cat moms do, food, water, litter box, let me in, let me out, pets and cuddles (although not nearly often enough to suit me), talked to us, read me Midnight Louie mysteries because the cat detective reminded her of me-ow, slept with me. Kittibits because he always slept with me, cuddled with me, let me drool into his beautiful silky fur, and if I was out and needed in after the cat door was closed, he yelled at Mom until she let me in. We made friends again after I rejoined the family when Mom got Cisco and Pancho and he was my best friend.

My greatest achievement during my lifetime was sharing my bad self--by which I mean my excellent self, with the world! Or at least my corner of it. I was the chief meeter and greeter of guests, always giving them the benefit of a little drool and punctured kneecaps to let them know the cat thought they were worth his notice too. I patrolled the perimeter, controlled the varmint and bird population (not so much lately) and was our family's liaison with the neighborhood. Plus, you know, I had great stage presence and brightened the day of everyone--especially me-YOW!

Nothing funny every happened to ME but I sometimes made funny stuff happen to other people. Like when Kittibits and I were lodged at Uncle Tony's vet hotel while Mom was away for a long time. I totally soaked up all the attention at the front of the kennel while Bits cowered at the back, sure someone was going to eat him. I kept telling him, "Yeah, bits, that's right they're going to eat you," and telling the fawning vet techs "Oh YEAH! Scratch THERE! A little to the right!" Then when Mom called to check on us Uncle Tony told her how I was purrtecting Kittibits and she ratted me out so then BITS got to ride on Uncle Tony's shoulder during rounds and got extra pets and loving just for being a wuss. But it was pretty funny   before that.

My greatest passion? Hmmm,. Being of service to the world at large by simply being wonderful me, I guess. Now the poor world has to do without me while I'm up here sorting out cat heaven,   spirit guiding messages from other rainbow cats to their long lost owners and friends, stuff like that. I had lots of passions and I wouldn't want any of them to get jealous because I said another one was greatest.