This will be my last post .....

There's no good way to say this, but this will be my last post. My faithful readers of the last three years know that I've been having, shall we say, health problems. As in an encyclopedic range of health problems! I could list them here but that's not what my final post is all about. I'm sure my owner will come up with some kind of suitable memorial post for me that will give credit to the legions of medical staff, including the cute vet techs, who have made sure that I had these last three years. Basically, I'm on the downside of the ol' HRQOL problem (that stands for health related quality of life). Since I have a scientific mind about evaluating the world, naturally I go with the CDC approach to quality of life. All my board certified vets recommend the CDC as a source of information. Some writers on this topic, who one would think would be smarter than me, have asked assume science makes you immortal, what will you then do for eternity? I'm sorry, but that's just a stupid question. The CDC considers QOL to be "a broad multidimensional concept that usually includes subjective evaluations of both positive and negative aspects of life." I like that definition because it's really long. I think what that means is - is life sucking too much.

Anyway, I spent today with my owners of 15 years. My first 3 years I was known as "Speedy" and lived with a woman who had to take me to the shelter. Life and death is a cycle. I came to live with my owners after they lost their previous puss, Midnight, after 20 years. Obviously they are the best-est of owners or their cats would not live such long lives! All these pictures of me are on my last day - June 22, 2010.

I woke up this morning with a special kind of tired.

I just don't have much of my ol' gusto!

Nothing special about this picture except that it's the top of the hot tub where I was always able to lay and warm my carcass. I'm going to miss this for sure! Eighteen cat years is 89 human years! No wonder I like warm places! 

Morning with Mom

It was thanks to Cathy that I got adopted in the summer of 1995. Dad (aka Curt) was moping around due to the demise of Midnight who lost a battle with cancer at the age of 20. Cathy had him come with her to the Humane Society (a curious name for a place with cats and dogs). She told him they were just going to look around. He fell for that. It ended up being between me and this knockout tortoise hair female who was, pardon the expression, really whoring it up by continual leg rubbing. I just acted respectable, yet friendly, and they picked me!  This was a stroke of genius on my part because as a Maine Coon, I'm not that friendly. In fact, the big cat book describes my breed as amiable. Not friendly or good-natured or charming or sociable. Just amiable. That means like barely friendly! That's just racist!! Although it's sort of true too. They took me home and I spent three days under the bed!

These pictures of me and Dad were taken right before Mom took me to see Dr Schoen who was designated to give me the pink juice (as they say). Mom had to take me, Dad wussed out. He was pretty broken up about this. I want to give a final thanks to Dad who always took notes on what I had to say and put them into my blog. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't have been a Huskercat. Without me there wouldn't have been one either so let's not make too big a deal out of what he did. What I'm trying to say was it was a partnership sort of. My brains; his typing.  

These pictures are getting kind of sad. So ....

What I thought I would do is tell you about some of the things that made each day special (aside from all the love and attention that came my way). Let's start with catnip! This was something to roll around about!

Waiting for a final catnipping. I never got too sick for catnip!

Krazee Kitty catnip is pretty good, but Cosmic catnip is the best! I received no financial benefit for this endorsement, although I should have. Getting cat nipped by the pool overlooking the San Gabriel Mountain Range is about as good as it gets. 

This wasn't anything fun, but my last two weeks I got 200cc's of saline each morning subcutaneously. My kidneys were punking me. And why not, most of the rest of my body was going off the deep end! While it would perk me up, it didn't end up jumpstarting either of my kidneys. C'est la vie! I wish I knew what c'est la vie meant ... 

One of Mom's stained glass windows in the background.

My little Husker red food dish they kept on the bed for me. It was a transparent attempt to get me to sleep with them at night. I slept on Mom's pillow quite often.

Friskies cat food storage container.

This was my food layout in the kitchen (below). If this photo were taken more responsibly you could see the image of a cat like me in the bowl on the right. This is where my Grilled Fancy Feast (usually the one with Tuna) would go. On the left was the Friskies hard food; the middle bowl was fresh water (changed every day). I had long sought an endorsement from the makers of Grilled Fancy Feast in Gravy with tuna, but this never materialized. Fancy Feast cat food indulged the taste of the cat (me) just as the advertising said. It was a slow cooked tuna feast that was lavishly basted in gravy and had a tantalizing flavor just as the commerical said. It's the best. I reviewed their Grilled products many times on my blog and they never responded to my many requests for commercial endorsements. Well it's too late now! I hope their top brass lose sleep over this for years to come! 

Friskies hard food (L), water (C), and savory Grilled Tuna Fancy Feast with gravy (R)

I always got special treats too. Whisker Lickin's is pretty good.

There's no beating Pounces for that special treat!

My personal brush. It was made of boar bristles (no kidding!) and had an elegant American Beech hardwood handle. My Dad got it at Sephora which is apparently a fancy place. My Mom was a little annoyed with this since she got her brush at Target, but she eventually understood that I deserved it.

This looks weird but I love this. It makes my brain go funny in a good way.

Here is where I would sit on my sheepskin, eating Pounces and watching Husker football. Talk about the good life!! I hope the Huskers have a good season this fall!

I leave this world with no regrets (and no apologies to all my bird, bug and lizard prey - they had it coming anyway). I've had 18 years full of love and gave it back when I wasn't sleeping. I've done the math and it looks like each of my lives equals about two years (here's my work: 18 yrs / 9 lives = 2 yrs/life). I got no complaints. I would have been completely dead three years ago if not for all the help from Dr Prouix from California Veterinary Specialists and all the other medical people. I've told death to "suck it" for three years now but that game is up. Final score: Me, 3; Death 1. HA!

Ok, well getting back to things ... Cats have 9 lives, but only have one last day. I'll push off from this life with a poem. (it doesn't rhyme but I'm still calling it a poem. I don't know if it is technically a poem. It doesn't really matter.)

When somebody loves you, everything is beautiful.

Every hour I spent with Cathy & Curt, lives in our hearts.

When she was sad, I made sure she wasn't alone.

And when she was happy, so was I.

I would curl up with Curt or he would hang with me.

Whichever it was, it made us both happy.

Year after year, I was the Huskercat.

It meant a lot to me and I know to my millions of friends.

I always knew I was loved

Otherwise, why all the pictures and sexy new friends?

It's now hard at the end of the day 

I need some distraction, oh beautiful release.

My pain now goes down a one-way street

Memories seep from my veins 

But I know they are full of love, and maybe 

I'll find some peace tonight.

So tired of the storm that is in my body 

That brings me to my knees.

Nevermind that, it's what happens after all these years.

I felt the love that provided all this final care.

But I will soon escape this storm.

In the arms of an Angel, I'll fly away from here.

I know it's just an image, but I'll leave this world in comfort.

I spent 18 years in the arms of Angels.

There's no better blessing than what I had.

Grief is the price we pay for love.

So don't mourn me too long, just remember me.

Know that my end is just my final victory roll!

And make sure there is another Huskercat.

(inspired by Sarah Mclachlan (and some just outright plagiarized - so sue me! Sure! Just try and sue a dead cat!!!!) , and from others and thoughts from my own brain)

Every day was like Christmas for me!

I hope you didn't think ending with a poem was lame!

Well ... like I would end lots of my posts ....
I'm outta here!

Much love,
Tommy (Thomas) The Huskercat!


PS - remember me!