Truman, 1996 - December 10, 2009

It seems almost surreal to be writing a eulogy for Truman just 15 days after Woody's death. Yet somehow at the same time it seems to make sense. Truman and Woody were best friends, were very connected, and were definitely a pair.

We first met Truman at an adoption even held in Balboa Park by a group called FOCAS. We actually almost missed Truman; we had spotted another grey cat that we liked but when we inquired the people said someone had already started the adoption process. Jayson pointed out Truman and I hesitated saying that we shouldn't rush and wait for the right cat. However, the more we spent time with Truman the more interested we were. Turns out he was the right cat. Truman had been a stray who ended up at animal shelter and was picked up by FOCAS and put into a foster home. As part of the adoption process his foster mother brought him to our house, mostly to check out the environment to see if it was suitable, plus to give the cat time to adjust with a familiar person there. When she opened the cat carrier Truman walked out, put his tail up, looked around, and walked upstairs to explore. It was clear that he was home.

We soon found out that Truman had a little problem with a sensitive stomach. Luckily FOCAS was wonderful with us and paid for all of his vet bills, as well as dropped off 75 pounds of litter to help us out. They knew that would be the best parents possible and wanted to do what they could to make sure we kept him. I think they knew that if Truman went back into foster care that he wouldn't be adoptable again. We were more than happy to do what we could to get him better and had no intention of returning him. His problematic stomach would actually stay with him his entire life but at least we were able to keep it under control.

For a cat with a sensitive stomach Truman was something of a chow hound. He was picky about what he ate, but he'd eat as much as he could get. No matter how much we fed him, he always wanted more. It got to be annoying on weekend mornings when he would decide it was time to eat and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Eventually we got an automatic feeder and he began to pester that for food. Truman got pretty heavy at one point in his life but his vet pointed out that because of his overall size he wasn't grossly overweight. He was just a big cat, almost 3' from nose to tail. Even then, when he got over 21 pounds we decided that it was time for a diet. He wasn't thrilled by that and it became a game of trying to keep him from eating the dog's food, which only aggravated his stomach.

It's ironic that he loved dog food since most people who met him realized that he had as many dog characteristics as he did cat characteristics. When someone came to the door he would be there before the dog to see who it was. When we had visitors over he was in constant competition with the dog for attention. Adding in his being a chow hound and he did seem like a dog at times. He was referred to as the coolest cat ever by more than one person, and he really was. Even taking him to the vet, where they see hundreds of animals, he was a celebrity. Everyone there commented on how relaxed he was, and how unusual of a cat he was. He was an incredibly lovable cat. He could spend hours being rubbed and petted. I always thought it was nice that unlike so many cats who want attention only on their terms, Truman was always happy to accept attention and return love.

Unlike most cats, Truman liked to travel. We realized it on our trip up to Seattle when we moved here. After getting over the newness of being in the car he just relaxed and enjoyed the drive. When we would stop at a hotel he loved exploring the place; he wasn't scared or intimidated at all. The same thing happened in the different places we lived in Seattle. Each one was home as long as the two of us and the dog were there. After we bought a boat he even took to that once he got past the sound of the engine and the strange movement. He would camp up in the forward bunk while we were underway and just enjoy the ride. At the dock or at anchor he was very happy to explore both inside and out. It made it very nice to be able to have the whole family together for weekends away from home.

As he got older Truman slowed down, like most cats do. He still had his favorite toys that got his attention. His foster mother had told us that he loved anything with feathers and she was right. He also absolutely loved little furry mice with beads inside that rattled. If he had one of those around, he was perfectly content. We eventually found a rattle mouse with feathers on the end and that seemed to be the ultimate toy. He had a fondness for ripping off the fur and eating the feathers and would still play with the inside rattle part of the thing.

During his last year Truman had some health problems. Earlier in 2009 he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. We noticed he had been losing a lot of weight and that he just seemed ill. The vet quickly diagnosed the problem and we had him treated for that. He responded well at first to the treatment but then the problem was back. The vet put him on pills to regulate his thyroid and that had an effect. Unfortunately at the same time we began noticing blood in his litter box. The vet did some standards tests but couldn't find anything through those. To go any further would require a colonoscopy or exploratory surgery. Neither seemed like a good option since they would be expensive, would be uncomfortable to the cat, and wouldn't fix any problem, only diagnose it. The vet theorized that it could be inflamed colon disease or possible even colon cancer. There was no way to know.

There was a bad spell around the beginning of November and we really thought that it was the end for Truman. However, he rallied and seemed to be much better. It was obvious that he was tired and didn't have tons of energy but he was still lovable and was getting around better than he had in a while. Sadly, last weekend the bleeding returned and Truman very quickly lost all of his energy. Most of his time the last few days was spent on the sofa. Even then he was still lovable even though it seems to tire him out to lift his head. On Thursday Jayson found him curled up in his litter box. It looked like he had found a dark quiet spot and just curled up and went to sleep. I'm glad that he was able to spend his last days at home and when the time came, to die quietly.

I've never met another cat like Truman, and I wonder if I ever will. He was really a special cat with a lot of unique characteristics. I'm so happy that after living life as a stray he was able to find a home, and that the home was with us. He was very well loved and I definitely felt the love from him. It's strangely quiet in the house with both him and Woody gone. I suppose it's the end of an era.

Woody, 1994 - November 25, 2009

We got Woody from a shelter almost exactly 12 years ago. The shelter was doing an adoption event at a pet store; we saw him and decided he seemed like the dog for us. He was 2 1/2 at the time and we liked the idea of an adult dog. We took to each other right away, and it was definitely a good fit. He was a cocker spaniel/blue heeler mix (we think) and was full of energy. He used to do what I called "touch and goes": he'd run full speed from one end of the apartment to the other, dozens of times. I never knew where he got the energy but whenever we'd take him out he seemed like he could go on forever. He always had a smile on his face. It's hard to say that a dog is smiling, but you could see it on him.

He loved to ride in the car but hated motorcycles. When a cycle would pull up next to the car you'd think he was about to jump through the window. His love of riding in the car became a fun game for a while where I would let him jump into the backseat, close the door, walk around to the other side and let him out. He was so excited that he'd gotten to be in the car. It was just as good as going somewhere to him. When we first took him to the boat he was afraid of the sound of the motor and the motion. Eventually, and suddenly, he got over his fear of the boat and began to love it. He could watch the world go by on the boat, bark at seagulls, and try to psych out the geese on the water the paddle too close to the boat.

Woody had one very particular quirk that just added to the cuteness: when he was relaxed and happy the last 3/4" of his tongue would stick out between his teeth. It made him look a little like he should be riding the short bus, but it just meant that he was relaxed. In spite of looking stupid he was a really smart dog, and he knew how to use it. He could play people to get the attention he wanted, and in time became expert at it. Without fail every time we would encounter other people they would mistake him for a puppy. It wasn't only his energy, it was his happiness. You could just see on his face that he was the happiest dog, and even happier when people were giving him attention.

As he got older he never lost that puppy-like demeanor. He slowed down gradually over time, but his happiness continued to show through. We were asked about his age less often, but even at age 14 people were still asking if he was a puppy. We were able to take him more places because of him being a little more mellow and he just loved being out. His last big trip was to Oregon a few weeks ago and, even though I was in a different vehicle, I'm guessing he loved being in the car watching the world go by for that long.

Sadly, during his last few weeks he was clearly in pain. He didn't show it at first but it became eventually obvious. His puppiness still showed through even though he spent a lot of time sleeping. When we had to put him to sleep on Tuesday it seemed surreal to be doing that when he still had moments of being so full of life. That's the thing I'll remember most about him, that he was so full of life, and seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Putting him to sleep was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but he couldn't live in pain and there was no way to fix his problem. I almost couldn't bear to see him go, but was glad on some level that I could be here with him holding him during his last moments and send him on his way with love. As difficult as it as I had to be there for him, one of my best friends. For a 30 pound dog, he touched a lot of lives. I miss him.

Radioactive Kitty

We had a little scare recently with our oldest cat, Truman. He's about 12 years old, which isn't really ancient in cat terms. He's been losing weight over the last several months and we just assumed it was old age. But, he kept getting skinnier and skinnier, and then we found a lump on his shoulder. So, I schlepped him to the vet worried that he had a big problem.

As it turns out, the lump was nothing other than a little spot under his skin. But, the weight loss was a concern. The vet was able to visibly diagnose hyperthyroidism and then confirmed the diagnosis with blood work. She was pretty convinced we had caught it in time and that with treatment Truman would be OK.

The treatment is what turned Truman into radioactive kitty. As in humans, the treatment is an injection with ¹³¹I, a radioactive iodine isotope. We dropped him off on Thursday and they had to keep him until Saturday, when his radiation levels fell below a state-mandated level. In reality the amount of radiation is not enough to harm anyone, but they want to limit the lifetime exposure in humans and don't want to add to the total too much.

In any event, the iodine is supposed to shrink the malformed tissue in his thyroid which means the good tissue can take over the function again. According to our vet and the vet who did the treatment, he should respond well. They both seemed to think that he was a great candidate. If/when responds he should put back on some weight and have a lot more energy. I'm hopeful that he'll respond. We should see some changes pretty quickly.

As for the radioactivity, we have to make sure we flush his litter for the next two weeks, or store it for 80 days. We're definitely going to flush it since I have no desire to keep a collection of kitty roca for 80 days until we can safely dispose of it. We're also not supposed to spend more than an hour a day of physical contact with him for the next two weeks. I've not checked yet to see if he glows in the dark. That would be a nice bonus if he did...

Mr Fish

For my birthday in August Jayson and Anthony gave me a betta fish and a small but proper tank to keep him in. I never came up with a proper name for him, but over time he simply became Mr Fish. I set up the tank at work and with a plant in one corner he was very happy. He liked to sit in the plant and watch the movement on my computer screen. After I moved to my new desk he had lots of natural light and more activity to observe.

Every morning when I got to work Mr Fish was at the side of the tank to greet me. He did the same thing when I would leave my desk for any length of time during the day and return. He could obviously distinguish between me and others in my office since he seemed to react only to my presence and no one else. It was really nice to have him excited to see me. He turned out to be a good companion to have at work each day.

Over the holidays I brought him home in his tank since I was planning to be away from work a lot. I was also planning to change the gravel and get his tank cleaned out well while he was at home. Sometime over the last few days I noticed that he had started to get weak. He wasn't swimming as actively as he used to so Jayson and I quickly changed the water and got his tank cleaned out. After that he seemed to rally and be doing better.

Sadly, Mr Fish died this morning. When I checked on him first thing he was lying on his side alive but unable to move. That was really the end and by a short time later he was dead. I know he's "just a fish" and I'm surprised how attached to him I was in just a short amount of time, but he was a companion for me at work and I will miss him.. I'm really sad that he's gone and that I won't have him to greet me at work anymore first thing in the morning.

Meet the newest member of the family

No, not Anthony.

Jayson decided that we needed another cat, and lo and behold we have another cat! He's an 8 month old solid black cat that he saw at the shelter yesterday when he stopped by to see about volunteering. He's a cute little black number and after only an hour he's already acclimating very well. I wasn't sure about having another pet of any type, but if he fits in well it will be nice to have him. He's not too wild for being so young which means he's already somewhat in sync with the existing dog and cat. It will be interesting having a new pet, and he is very sweet. So, our household now has six in it!