Evinrude
Evinrude, aka Rudy, came to us when he was three months old. He was
at a Las Vegas Animal shelter, and my vetranarian, Dr. Hucke, had been
working with the dr. at the shelter to find me an orange tabby. I had
lost my first boy, Pumpkin, at the ripe old age of 20, and I was feeling the
need for another orange boy. The dr. at the shelter called and said,
"We have an awsome orange kitty she can have if she wants him." I went
straight over to pick him up. On the way home, he climbed into my lap,
put his nose in my face, and "kissed" me. It was love at first sight!
He got his name because he had the loudest motor I'd ever heard! When
he purred, he could be heard from across the room. He would climb into
my lap and gaze into my eyes, and my sister would often say that she was
sure we'd "been lovers in a previous life." I was definately his
person.
This was a good thing (for me) and, at times, a bad thing. Rudy had to
share me with a husband and another cat at first, but since then, the family
grew to include two girls, two dogs and another cat. I don't think he
liked sharing, and this did eventually lead to behavior problems with him.
For the past three years we have dealt with them. I know that many
animals are put to sleep because of behavior issues, and I can certainly
understand getting to the point where it feels unbearable, but I just
couldn't bear the thought of having him put to sleep for these
problems. There were times, however, when I wasn't sure we could deal with
them.
We did, though, thanks once again to Dr. Hucke, and I can say that in the
end, it was an illness that took him from us. He was 13 years old,
which in my mind is not old for a cat, but I do believe he had lived his
nine lives, and maybe even more!
I miss my boy terribly. I miss not having him snuggled up in the crook of
my arm every night, I miss not being the center of a cat's world, and I miss
that purr! I guess, if there is a good thing that comes from losing one we
love, it is that all of the negative just goes away, and the good stays with
us. So, I will keep Rudy in my heart, and never forget how it felt to
be "all that" to a big, handsome, orange cat.
I can't thank Dr. Hucke enough for all she did for Rudy. This gift was
a great surprise and writing these memories has been very healing. I
put it off, afraid of feeling the pain, but I've found that it has made me
smile through some tears.
The Gilmer Family
