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Heckle 1989 - 2007
Nov. 6th, 2007 07:40 pmMy eldest fur-baby, Heckle, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. He was 18 and suffering from failing kidneys and a failing heart. He kept losing weight, no matter what I tried, and when he had no more fat to lose, he was losing muscles, especially from his back legs. He got more and more unsteady on his feet and sometimes his back legs were just too weak to stand at all. For a while a good night's sleep in Mama's lap would get him back up on his feet. Sunday, he started falling over early in the afternoon, and I had a feeling that he wasn't going to bounce back this time.
I spent the night in the recliner, so he could sleep in my lap. He always loved laps above all else. He actually hunted them as a young cat -- staking out their known habitats, being aware of circumstances that tended to result in laps, following potential laps around waiting for someone to sit down. The kittens, Malcolm and Kaylee, seemed to know something was wrong. They cuddled up next to him and groomed him. The next morning, he still was not able to walk and could hardly stand, so I knew it was time for that last vet visit.
He was maybe 6 or 8 months old when I met him in late Fall of '89. We had just moved to Dallas, and he belonged to our neighbor. She worked at the pound, and he was due to be put down because he hadn't been adopted, but she decided he was too cute to die, so she took him home. Unfortunately, she also had several large dogs the kittens were afraid of, so he spent all their time in our yard and eventually became our cat. He was bright and bouncy and thought the whole world was his friend. His favorite toy was a wadded up paper ball. He would bat it and chase it all over the house. He taught our old battle-scarred alley cat, Skunk, how to play and do things just for enjoyment. As he got older and more sedate, his biggest joy in life was to lay in a lap and be cuddled. When I left my husband and he was allowed in the bedroom for the first time, he discovered even greater joy in sleeping on Mama's chest or curled up on the pillow next to me.
Skunk was my husband's cat, but Heckle was definitely my cuddle baby, no matter how old he got. It was awfully cold and lonely last night without a purring Heckle on my pillow. Malcolm and Kaylee are semi lap cats, but it's just not the same. I miss him so much.
I spent the night in the recliner, so he could sleep in my lap. He always loved laps above all else. He actually hunted them as a young cat -- staking out their known habitats, being aware of circumstances that tended to result in laps, following potential laps around waiting for someone to sit down. The kittens, Malcolm and Kaylee, seemed to know something was wrong. They cuddled up next to him and groomed him. The next morning, he still was not able to walk and could hardly stand, so I knew it was time for that last vet visit.
He was maybe 6 or 8 months old when I met him in late Fall of '89. We had just moved to Dallas, and he belonged to our neighbor. She worked at the pound, and he was due to be put down because he hadn't been adopted, but she decided he was too cute to die, so she took him home. Unfortunately, she also had several large dogs the kittens were afraid of, so he spent all their time in our yard and eventually became our cat. He was bright and bouncy and thought the whole world was his friend. His favorite toy was a wadded up paper ball. He would bat it and chase it all over the house. He taught our old battle-scarred alley cat, Skunk, how to play and do things just for enjoyment. As he got older and more sedate, his biggest joy in life was to lay in a lap and be cuddled. When I left my husband and he was allowed in the bedroom for the first time, he discovered even greater joy in sleeping on Mama's chest or curled up on the pillow next to me.
Skunk was my husband's cat, but Heckle was definitely my cuddle baby, no matter how old he got. It was awfully cold and lonely last night without a purring Heckle on my pillow. Malcolm and Kaylee are semi lap cats, but it's just not the same. I miss him so much.
