Goodbye, Milesy, Mrs. Goodcat., Her Life, ? to March 10, 2008 Options

[Jon730]

Your desription of bringing a new love into your life reminds me of how I met Goliath. I had a catlove in my life for 19 1/2 years. She was a beautiful black cat named Jezebel who was full of bliss and content and shared in a happy, loving, and long life with us. She left us on January 24th 1997 and amongst other moments we shared that I missed so much, I missed her sitting in my lap.

About 6 or 7 weeks after her death I was looking through the newspaper and noticed that someone had chihuahua puppies. ..When we met Goliath it was love at first sight as he struggled to part from the rest of his siblings. He picked me just as much as I picked him. Guess what.........Goliath was born on January 25th, 1997 which was the day after my catlove Jezebel passed away.

First meetings are special..I jokingly call them "Interviews". The differences between dogs and cats is so funny!

Pepper the Yorkie was brought home from the breeder by my wife..I had not met him. His eyes lit up, and...

"OBOY! A Male! Bet it's my new Alpha! Cool! I have PLANS! Hey! Throw a ball..come on! Let's go run around the house a few times and BARK!
Haha, Hey Boss..the neighbor has a flower garden...Know what I'm thinking? Hahahaha Come on, Dare You!!!!
NO! I am NOT the one who wrote "Jon" in the snow!!"

Merlin the Bombay Cat:

"Hmph. A big ugly MALE with no fur. O Great. Wait a minute. Is that a FOOD BOWL??
Forget what I said, I was only kidding.
Well, how about having me sit on your shoulder. You do the walking, while I inspect my new realm.
This furniture will have to go. Give me a month, and don't look, OK?
(A few months later.)
This guy understands me. We are great friends. He is SO lucky. He seems to have shrunk, though because now when I sit on his shoulder I have to curl around his neck and use both of them-But I'll put up with his failings, because he is my friend."

[goliath]

LOL The style you chose to use in your posting made me laugh so hard. That was a very creative way to describe the differences between cats and dogs. To say it from their perspectives while showing the differences in their language could not have been said better.

One thing that both cats and dogs do share in common is the love, happiness and meaning they add to our lives. These remembrances have become a permanent part of my soul to cherish for the rest of my days. I have been truly blessed in my life to have had such loves and happiness to tell about.

On Easter Sunday we went to my sister's home. She had taken a new puppy into her home because a co-worker of hers was having difficulty finding a good home for him. Our arrival was a little bit earlier than she had expected. The puppy was outside with my nephew when she came out and told me she was sorry and her intention was to put the puppy upstairs so I wouldn't be saddened.

While I did tell her I appreciated her concern and love for me in protecting my feelings, I said "gimme that little bundle of joy, he isn't going to spend Easter Sunday locked away." Guess where Cudjoe spent the remainder of the day? We played together hard and inbetween our bouts of play he slept quietly in my arms.

It was marvelous and quite healing for me to engage with Cudjoe and his energetic little self. The sheer joy he brought me with so much excitement and laughter touched me deeply. My jaw actually hurt after laughing so much.

Laughter is great medicine for me. For that matter, it is good for anybody. It nourishes and helps heal our wounded hearts.

Thanks for the cat and dog dialogue LOL Gee it feels so great to laugh.

[Jon730]

LOL  The style you chose to use in your posting made me laugh so hard. That was a very creative way to describe the differences between cats and dogs. To say it from their perspectives while showing the differences in their language could not have been said better.

I thought that as someone who had a Compact Canine, you would instantly identify Pepper's att*itude.
A neighbor with a big Lab used to call Pepper "A weasel on caffeine".
Pepper annoyed and taunted him no end.

[goliath]

A weasel on caffeine huh? LOL now there's a sight to see. Are you telling me Pepper was a little agitator? For sure I know my Golaith could be such a stinker at times.

Since my Goliath was such a sissy and definately a Mama's boy he didn't aggitate other animals, but he did have his own way of getting attention when he wanted it.

When he was a puppy we had to find a way to deter him from chewing. So each time he would get something in his mouth we would take one of those braided rag chew ropes with the finges on the ends and tickle his face with it. He quickly learned to drop whatever was in his mouth and play with the rope.

One day I was sitting in my chair cross st*itching when Goliath jumped in my lap and dropped his football. When I reached for the football he promptly snatched my embroidery floss and took off running through the grateroom leaving a tangled mess of threads behind him. He showed me he could deter my attention just as well as I could deter his.

[forduffy]

Hi Jon,
I have been so busy lately with life that I haven't really been coming around these forums but it turns out that I miss them terribly. First, I'd like to express how sorry I am for your loss of your catwife, Miles. It hurts and I wonder if it ever stops. I lost my Duffy last September and some days, I can so easily just start sobbing, no matter where I am as the intense pain floods over me. But this forum is here and has been such a life saving agent.

I would also like to say that I love the way that you express yourself through this thread. I do understand how some of our furbabies seem to bond with us effortlessly and we miss them so terribly when they are gone. I have never had a cat but have always wanted one. Every member in my family while growing up was allergic including myself and now I've gone and married a man who is allergic. But my husband and I have always loved and wanted cats so we will be adopting sometime soon and just getting some allergy shots-it's worth it. We are moving in May of this year so we are waiting to have a nice home for our babies to come home to. In any case, it is also nice to see that you will be adopting soon. I wish you much luck and enjoyment with your newhire. Although it seems as if after the interview, it's we humans who are the new hires and the cats are boss.

Take care and I wish you peace during this time when your loss is so fresh.

[Jon730]

First, I'd like to express how sorry I am for your loss of your catwife, Miles. It hurts and I wonder if it ever stops. I lost my Duffy last September and some days, I can so easily just start sobbing, no matter where I am as the intense pain floods over me. But this forum is here and has been such a life saving agent.

I had one of those today. I repaced a lot of the woodwork because of Miles. Today, I was cleaning up outside and cutting some old lumber up for disposal, and came across the clawed-up scutlpturing she did. It's little odd things like that that trigger memories and leave me empty. I have tried everything in dealing with it.

I tried telling myself, "Actually she was an irascible, independent cat, who caused a lot of trouble, and cost a fortune in special diets, vet bills, damaged woodwork, and two other poor cats who were intimidated and ruled by her could have had happier lives."

THEN I hear her voice from beyond the Grave:

" I was cold and wet and sick.
I was ugly, with half my fur missing.
My tail looked like it belonged on a possum, or a big rat.
I lived under a tool shed. I was pregnant.
I hated people and used to slink away from them, because I had a home once, and something went wrong, and I can never trust them. again.
But someone began leaving food out for me.
He started waiting for me. Sometimes he would make a strange sound, and there would be food.
I began to feel stronger. One day, I was actually glad to see him, and I rubbed my head against him, to mark him as mine.
The nights begin to get very cold.
Suddenly, one day, he took me and my baby inside where it was warm.
He took us to a place with other animals and stuck needeles into use, then took us home.
I feel good.
I am so happy, that I followed him downstairs to his shop, and as he worked, I played with a mousey toy on the floor, to show him I was valuable.
There are other cats here, but he is mine, and I have put them on notice.
I love him; When is he coming home? I wait. He put a little bed in the window so I can watch for him.
I HEAR HIS CAR! Quick! Look like you have been awake all day!!
A quick cleaning to be pretty, and run to the door!!!
The seasons come and go. We grow closer and closer. He saves the best and select Chickie for me from his plate. I like to sleep curled around his head. I never stop purring. I am the Queen of the World. The seasons come and go.
I am not feeling well, but he is there with love, and I purr and purr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is cold and dark in the ground.
I wait for you, Jon, Love of my Life."

[goliath]

Jon........I am so sorry that you had a sad day. In time you will have fewer sad days as the happier memories creep into them. The mementos found long after our furloves haved passed can often stir up the sadness that lies within us as we miss them so much. I am still finding little things around the house that has Goliath's memory attached to them. Yesterday I found his bimple bone stashed way back in the closet. When I find these mementos I like to think of it as Goliath coming home to say hello. He has left many smiles here in our home and I am sure I will find many more mementos for some time to come.

Perhaps they know that the odds are that we will live longer than they will. Maybe they have an insight and leave those souvenirs purposely so that we will always have something to smile about. Makes we wonder.

Though Miles body is in her grave, you know where her loving soul is. I don't have to tell you that. Have faith that in time your days will become brighter and full of sunshine. You have a big heart that may take a long time to mend.

The words you expressed from Mile's perspective tells me you are a very open minded person who looks at life from others perspectives and not just your own. That in of itself is a gift of love.

May you cherish all of the beautiful memories you and Miles made together.

[LoveThem]

Jon:

I love hearing Miles "talk". I look at your avatar and see what a beautiful sweetheart she was and then I read your words of her "talking" and the story is so meaningful and beautiful. She must be "talking" from your heart.

[Jon730]

I do understand how some of our furbabies seem to bond with us effortlessly and we miss them so terribly when they are gone. I have never had a cat but have always wanted one.

One friend of mine called them, "Kind of like a smaller version of a dog, but with a bad att*itude".

I think that was unfair.
It could have been "Anarchist att*itude", maybe. I love both creatures, but in different ways on different levels. Dogs are pack animals and can relate to us in ways cats cannot. Cats can make emotional deals with us that dogs do not.
Cats and dogs can become friends with each other, even. My Yorkie grew up with cats, and confused the species all the time.

OK, I frankly had a bad week, emotionally and am going to tell a funny story, and hope it crosses no lines here.
My mother was visiting one day, when the Tonkinese cat was crawling and calling across the floor. She was in heat. My mother said something like, "Oh the poor cat."
Suddenly, Pepper ran up the the cat and mounted her. My mother screamed in disgust, "Put that horrible male dog away somewhere!!! Your little nieces are coming to vist later!!!"
And as she said this, Pepper turned, while not stopping his activities, and SMILED at her. (You know how dogs do that smile of theirs....something not seen in cats.)
She freaked out.
Yup, that's my dog.

One boring Winter afternoon, we were all lounging around. The dogs and cats were dozing, no one was doing anything, and we wanted to liven things up, and hit on the idea of giving Pepper's coat a little squirt of catnip spray.

Pepper found himself the object of sudden affection by the cats, and was at the bottom of the cat pile. He liked it.

[LoveThem]

Jon: That's two stories and I have just laughed out loud 2 x.

Thanks for the laughter. It does a body good.

I just finished new posting of my adopted kitty, Lucky in New Beginnings...the topic that says he is not camera shy in case you wanted to maybe have a smile on me this time.

[goliath]

The story of your Mother is hillarious. I can just picture this happening. No doubt she was completely appalled and you held in your laughter. Am I right?

Your story of of Pepper mounting your Tonkinese triggers a very funny story that happened with my mother-in-law. She was about 84 at the time.

All of my inlaws along with us took a trip to the cider mill. There were 10 of us altogether. After filling our picnic baskets with goodies we found a picnic table near the river and layed out our spread. Gidget and Goliath were under the table as the rest of us enjoyed our food and each others company.

My mother-in-law is a very complex individual and always has been. She dresses to this day in perfect coordination along with her nylons and polished shoes to go with her dresses, her hats, makeup and jewelry.

SUDDENLY..........Goliath got up from where he was laying. He walked over to where she was sitting where he could only see her legs. He raised his leg and peed all over hers! My niece was sitting next to her with a mouth full of food when she looked down, began to laugh and spit her food all over the table, as she screamed......."GOLIATH JUST PEED ALL OVER GRANDMA'S LEG!!!" Everybody stayed completely silent trying to hold in their laughter and wait for my mother-in-law's reaction since she doesn't have much of a sense of humor. LOL After what seemed like a very long time, my mother-in-law actually burst out laughing herself and the rest of us joined in. YUP!!! That's my boy!

[Jon730]

.  YUP!!! That's my boy! 

"My child can do no wrong"! Cats do not seem to care very much, but dogs are good at putting on the "Guilty" act.

Matilda the Aussie Terrier used to like to eat muchrooms in the yard, despite our begging her not to.
One day she was BARKING furiously at her water bowl.
"Hydrophobia!! She has RABIES!" We were freaking out.

It turned out that SHE was the one who was. I went out and looked at the mushrooms that had spouted. Amanita Muscaria.
We took her to the vet's, liver function tests were OK, and she recovered quickly.

BUT:
"Though generally considered poisonous, Amanita muscaria is otherwise famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive const*ituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom has had a religious significance in Siberian culture and possibly also in ancient Indian and Scandinavian cultures.
"

Oh Great. A Tripping dog. Thereafter I used to get outside first and get rid of them, because she _LIKED_ it.

[katzen11]

thank you for sharing the touching lovestory of
Jon and his cat-wife Miles.
Eva

Jon, the painting of your wife is really beautiful.
this is a very special thread.
at the end you made me smile.
(Pepper and the cat,
goliath and the mother-in-law.........)

[goliath]

"Though generally considered poisonous, Amanita muscaria is otherwise famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive const*ituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom has had a religious significance in Siberian culture and possibly also in ancient Indian and Scandinavian cultures.

Perhaps Matilda was a religious Siberian Aussie Terrier whose genes caused her cravings. You were very lucky that the outcome wasn't worse. You and she must have had a little chat about rehab so she could detox. I can see you beating her to the yard and getting those magical mushrooms before she did. You really didn't want to have her arrested for using illegal drugs. LOL.........That is quite a story that had a happy ending.

[Jon730]

Perhaps Matilda was a religious Siberian Aussie Terrier whose genes caused her cravings. You were very lucky that the outcome wasn't worse. You and she must have had a little chat about rehab so she could detox. I can see you beating her to the yard and getting those magical mushrooms before she did. You really didn't want to have her arrested for using illegal drugs. LOL.........That is quite a story that had a happy ending. 

It did and it may not have.

At 12 she died of liver cancer. We will never know for certain, but some "Toadstools" contain compounds such as hydrazines which are known carcinogens. She would hunt them and sneak them as often as she could.
So dog owners should take extreme care about these. Some species deliberately smell horrible, to attract flies...and we know what dogs are curious about tasting, to put it delicately.

To end on a light note, I saw a cartoon once of a woman staring at a supermarket display. There were two bins:

One was labelled "MUSHROOMS: $5.95/ Pound".
The other was labelled "MUSHROOMS??: 50 Cents/Pound."

As a person who delights in finding the eminently edible Morel by some certain stumps in May, it hit home...

[goliath]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh........The marvelous morel. We go upnorth with a friend of ours, Glen, who seems to know exactly where to find those delicious treats. It has been nearly 2 years now that we have gone due to illnesses and other factors. But this year we are able to go and my hubby has already talked to Glen and his wife about going.

Thanks for the important info on toadstools. I was not aware of that at all. We live on a private lake where all kinds of animals live and that includes toads as well. I will be sure to pay attention when I have my Gidget out there this summer.

[forgeorge]

I know how you feel.I am heart broken at the loss of my george.I made a vow that when I'm ready ,I will also rescue another cat,and give it a good life to the best of my ability.It will never replace George,but I already feel a need to fill the void where george once lived.They have gone to a better place to wait for us to re-unite.So many things I wish I had done differently now that he's gone.Wish I had paid more attention etc...We get caught up in life sometimes.But I believe he knows somehow.I miss him so much,I am truly heart broken.God bless you and your family....human and animal.

[Jon730]

It will never replace George,but I already feel a need to fill the void where george once lived.They have gone to a better place to wait for us to re-unite.So many things I wish I had done differently now that he's gone.Wish I had paid more attention etc...We get caught up in life sometimes.But I believe he knows somehow.I miss him so much,I am truly heart broken.

When you are ready, please read the post below, and note the difference in my mood from this thread. A few weeks after Milesy died, I began interviewing, in hopes of someday having another relationship like the one I had with my Cat Wife. I miss her so much, every day..but this guy actually made me laugh out loud for the first time since March.

You have a lot of hurt, but also a lot of free-floating love that has nowhere to go at present.


The New Guy.

[Jon730]

Milesey, my CatWife,
Two years since you went West. It's no better for me when I tell people stories about you, because you were such a one-in-a-million. The new guy's brithday shares your Bad Day by a week, so I cannot mention him in New Beginnings without remebering saying goodbye, and how terrible it was to come home from the vet crying, and for the first time in decades drinking Scotch straight from the bottle, so I could face throwing your special food, and the window bed you used to use for watching me come home away.

I'll always love you especially.

[Jon730]

Milesey, my CatWife,
This week it has been FOUR years since you went West.

Here again, we see that someone special can never be replaced.
There will never be another like her.