Conference misery::feline

    Pete, I'm very sorry about Jesse.  He sounds like he was a wonderful
    cat, and his web picture is really beautiful.  Cats are amazingly
    good at hiding physical difficulties -- I had no idea anything
    was seriously wrong with my first cat when he was in the final
    stage of feline leukemia, so many a cat owner has encountered this
    sad, unexpected situation.  Jesse really is wonderful looking, a lot
    like my Sweetie.  I know he is waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge,
    
    Karen, Sweetie, Holly, Little Bit, and Blackie
     

    Pete...you have my sincere sympathy in your loss of Jesse.  It
    is so hard when our kitties pass away unexpectactly...   I loss
    one of my two year old cats to cardiomyopathy (heart problems) and
    it was so hard for me to accept because he was fine in the morning
    and passed away that afternoon.  I cannot tell you how much I
    blamed myself because I felt I should have saw some symptoms.  It
    took many months and many of the noters in this file to help me
    understand I probably couldn't have done anything because cats are
    so good at hiding their symptoms and their illnesses.
    
    Hugs to you...and hopefully someday you will be willing to bring
    another furface into your heart because Jesse will always be there.
    
    Sandy 

    Pete,
    
    I'm sorry you have lost Jesse.  Those little furfaces leave such hole
    when they leave.  I have just lost one kitty and about to lose another.
    My Tigger is about 17 years old and quietly winding down his life.
    
    I understand what you mean about find it hard to believe they have
    gone.  Every time I go into the garden I expect to see my Chris coming 
    around the corner.
    
    I don't have the ability to see Jesse's WEB picture but I'm sure he was
    wonderful.  You gave him love, cared for him, and extended his life 
    way beyond the years he would have had if you hadn't rescued him.  
    
    Please accept my sympathies, and I am hoping there is another kittie in
    your future that you can love as much as you loved Jesse.
    
    

    Pete,
    
    I'm so sorry to hear of your cat's sudden passing. I remember loosing
    my Alexandra without warning, and I remember how hard that was. Sudden
    death is so hard to come to terms with.
    
    Deb

    
    
    	Pete,
    
    	I'm sorry to hear about Jesse.  He looks very much like my
    	Sasha kitty, she's part Maine Coon (which would explain his
    	long fur and pouffy tail).
    
    	Kitty hugs,
    	
    	JJ
    

Pete,

I'm so sorry to hear about Jesse's unexpected death.  Still a relatively
young cat, IMO, and what a cutie.  It takes quite a while to believe they
really are gone, I still expect to see Sabrina and its been over a year since
she's been gone.

Hugs to you,
Laura    

    Pete,
    
    Bast will care for your former companion, of that I am sure.  I am
    sorry for your loss.
    
    meg

    
    Pete - we "cat guys" need to know that we're not alone.  I lost my best
    friend Merlin last fall to old age (21 years, all of them spent with me);
    his story is told elsewhere in this conference.  We share your loss and
    grieve with you.
    
    len (and Rocky, Robin, Blueberry and Pretty Boy Floyd).
     

    Jesse is my third cat - though really the first cat I've looked after
    on my own.
    
    Before him was Takeval Tom Mutley (aka Tom!) and Snowy.
    
    Tom
    ---
    
    Tom was a semi wild black and white puddy with some odd habits. He
    acquired the nickname Mutley because he could almost make that strange
    noise Mutley makes in Dick Dasterdly in the Wacky Races.
    
    Sitting on a chair that Tom wanted to sit on was an experience. First
    he'd wiggle down beside you, then he'd get his legs braced on you, his
    back against the chair and very slowly push you out... until you were
    on the edge of the chair and he was happily sleeping on it.
    
    If you told him to get out, he'd shake his head and make a 'na-a-a-ah'
    sound.
    
    Dad would take him for walks - he'd disappear in the brush to return
    with lizards, snakes and wotnot. We lost him for two weeks and dad saw
    him near work (Takeval) hunting. He returned with no sign of any
    problems.
    
    Tom was knocked over by a car. The driver was trying to find the body
    to kill it but dad stopped him. He nursed Tom back to life all night,
    feeding him milk and whiskey! The Vet said that he was amazed he
    survived.
    
    When we returned to England, we had Tom put down - we didn't figure he
    would survive the six months quarantine, as he was so nervous around
    strangers.
    
    Snowy
    -----
    
    Snowy was a white female - deaf and sterile as most white cats are, but
    not an albino. Dad brought her home as a ferocious little kitten - I
    hated her! She ran around the floor at high speeds biting every ankle
    in the way.
    
    She must have thought she was a parrot because she loved climbing up
    you onto your shoulder (painful!), then sat there purring into your
    ear.
    
    Later, she and I became good friends. She'd purr like mad and walk
    around and around me, kneading the floor and being very soppy.
    
    She was dangerous around paper bags. She seemed fascinated by the
    contents and would play in them. You couldn't use your fingers as she
    go for anything that crinkled the paper with her claws!
    
    She hated my brother. Within seconds of him stroking her - hissss
    spppt! She lived for 18 years and was put down when the Vet thought she
    was in pain.
    
    I got Jesse long before Snowy died, so her passing had not such a big
    effect on me. I'd seen her before and she seemed quieter, slower and
    less the Snowy I remembered.
    
    Pete

    I loved that chair story.  The cat owns the furniture and
    the house, that's for sure :-)
    

         My deepest condolences on the loss of your Jesse.  Take heart that
    he's playing at the Rainbow Bridge, and waiting for you.
    
    					- Andrea
    					  Loki, Midnight & Patches

    Jesse was a funny cat, a complete contrast to Snowy. Whilst Snowy had a
    bad temper, Jesse was very easy going and friendly.
    
    One of Snowy tricks was if you held your hand in front of her like a
    claw, she'd go for you, biting and attacking your hand (never drawing
    blood of course!).
    
    First time I tried holding my hand in front of Jesse all he did was
    sniff it, lick it then rub his head inside it. He rarely lost his
    temper and purred incessantly.
    
    Jesse invented something I call the 'exploding cat'. He'd be sitting
    quitely, then just as you reached him, run past you at 100mph and
    scurry up the stairs (sounds of an elephant!). As he passed you, you
    would hear a kind of purr-meow sound.
    
    You would follow him, to find him peering down at you a kind of evil
    grin on his face. As you lumbered up the stairs, *bang* he be hurtling
    down past you at high speed... and so went the game.
    
    Watching him in the garden chasing everything that moved was funny.
    I've never seen a cat hop before! He'd try to follow a grash hopper and
    make funny movements keeping up... it was as bad chasing a small green
    frog... ribbit... boing!
    
    Jesse had a great head for heights. He once climbed out of the spare
    room top window, onto the roof (!) and into the top window of the attic
    room! There are still claw marks on the roof where he obviously
    slipped... needless to say he only did that once.
    
    He did sleep in the top window of the spare room, perched precariously
    on the window, a sheer drop on one side and warmth on the other side.
    How he could be comfortable there I don't know...
    
    Pete

    Pete
    
    condolences on the loss of Jesse.Losing a furface is always difficult,
    but with the unexpected you have no time to say the goodbyes that help
    us bring closure.
    
    My heart goes out to you and yours. It sounds like you gave Jesse a
    wonderful home and be happy with your memories of Jesse, for in that,
    he lives on.
    
    janetb.
    Merlin and rascal
    

    My sympathy goes out to you. My kitty died on New Years Eve
    day, and I wasn't really expecting it either.  I know
    how you must feel.
    
    What they say about time healing things is true.  It's so
    hard to lose a pet.  But it's been a few months for me,
    and I am preparing to adopt a little kitty at the end of
    this month when he is big enough.  
    
    Hopefully you will find another kitty at some point,
    when you are ready.  There's a special one out there
    somewhere just waiting for a good home.
    
    Gail

Pete,

	I loved your story about Jesse's and Snowy's personalities. I have two
girls, Woolie and Patches. Woolie is the "attack cat". Hold your hand up in
front of her, clawlike, and boink! Her eyes go completely black, her rump
wiggles and the attack commences, also without drawing blood. She's double
pawed, so it's like little hands grabbing at me. She gnaws on my hand, not to
hurt but to play, all the time purring up a storm. I roll her over and grab her
belly and she kicks at me furiously, still purring, then she twists away and
takes off! Another fun game for her is for me to reach under a small throw rug
and wiggle my hand. She runs over, watches for a second, rears up on her hind
legs with those massive meathooks stuck out in front of her, then she pounces!
Grabbing with all four feet and every tooth in her head! Patches is the
head-butt cat! You can hear her thunking her skull against everything in the
house! She's a complete love and the best alarm clock I could ever have! Every
morning she sticks her wet nose in my face about 10 minutes before my alarm is
set to sound-off. I awake to extremely loud purring and her big green eyes
staring me in the face, "Wake up Daddy!" I can almost hear it! Hold a finger to
her face and she licks it to take off the first three layers of skin, then rub
against it! Such fun!

Jim

    RE: -1
    >I awake to extremely loud purring 
    
    I do to, and don't get me wrong, I love it, but it relaxes me so much I
    often fall back to sleep!!!!
    
    Deb

    Jesse made an awful alarm clock. He'd bounce into my room at 2am, 4am,
    5am but never 7am when I wanted to get up.
    
    He'd either flop on the bed purring loudly and fidget or sit on
    something like a box that rattled when he moved and fidget making an
    annoying racket whilst I tried to sleep!
    
    Then I'd wake up to hear a bunch of cats wailing outside the window.
    
    Still, it is kinda quiet without the furry beastie around now... 8(
    
    Pete

    
    Just read your note/description of SNOWY... fits our cat to a "T". We
    adopted Ebony (all black nice soft fur) from the Humane Society just
    five years ago. I brought in a stray that had been outside for over a
    year and now he has taken control of the house and Ebony has moved
    downstairs. HE IS JUST A SWEET LOVABLE CAT WHO FOLLOWS US AND THE DOGS
    AROUND TALKING TO US.  When Ebony wants to come up they do not get 
    along and she usually gets the worst of it.  I have tried everything 
    for six months now and feel it is not fair to her to keep her any 
    longer she needs more attention.  Wish me luck.
    
    Margaret