The Emerald Rose

So. Now you know all about Mr. Hiss, from being a newborn kitten, to a week ago Wednesday, January 17, 2018, his last day with us. Now the wrap up and final memories for you.

On Wednesday January 10th our Pastor, Fr. Kevin Thomas Johnson passed away, and his final service was scheduled for Tuesday January 16th. As Barbara was preparing for the Cantor and Choir accompaniment for his service, and I for my attendance an robing as a Liturgical Assisstant at the Service,…..Mr. Hiss was REALLY beginning to fail. He stopped eating virtually anything, let alone enough to survive on, and was doing nothing but drinking from his favorite “Fountain of Youth”, our two toilets. He relocated during the last days to the second floor, and camped out in front of the bathroom door, and just sat. It was really becoming difficult for him to move about. I had to carry him up and down the stairs sometimes, the last week or two, as he could hardly get around. When he was downstairs, he remained just curled up on his “blankly” on the couch, and he was showing signs of Demetria as well, and sometimes just stood and stared blankly. He always, ever since he was a kitten fought against being picked up, but now there was no resistance, and even when we could pick him up it would not be longer than 30 seconds, and he would begin to fuss and wiggle to get down an even if you cradled him he clearly was saying,”OK I love you too, but let’s not get all emotional about it!” (After all he was a male cat!)

In the mornings for years he used to come into our bedroom and just jump up on the bed at our feet and curl up and napped, but more recently he wanted to be closer, and snuggle with us as well, which neither Barbra nor I minded in the least.

When I meditated, every morning and evening, he would always find me when the gong to start the meditation period went off and he would “appear”and jump up in my lap, and lay perfectly still and meditate with me. Not a joke folks, he would cuddle up in my lap until he was beginning to “chill-out”, and then would stretch out his entire length down to my toes and just become a totally relaxed and focused cat. He would never miss a session, and after the gong went off at the end of our session he would get up, quietly and jump over onto his “blanky” on the couch and take a real nap for a while, but he was struggling even to make this two or three foot crossing without slipping. Monday and Tuesday last week he was becoming so weak he could hardly stand up, so I had to pick him up and put him on the couch.

Ok,…..I’m a  “ Woose!”. But that Tuesday afternoon, after we returned from our Pastor’s funeral service, and we saw his imminent condition and plight, I called the Vet and made an emergency appointment for him The next day Wednesday January 17, 2018, I ,add an afternoon appointment at 3:00pm, because we were really concerned as I said before, and he never moved from his couch position that night and within the last two weeks he would be loudly vocal several times a day, like he was lost, or confused or ,….simply just scared of what was happening, “in his world”.

That night I put him on his “blanky”  on the couch and he just lay there, it was as if his fight had gone and he was just letting go to whatever was driving him inside. I had a hard time sleeping and finally got up about 3:30 or 4:00am,….and went out on the couch to sit with him and pet him. His muscle tone was completely gone, and he seemed to welcome the human touch as opposed to just the old surprised “mew” when you touched him. I spent an hour and a half with him, patting him, and we both knew, we were reaching the end of his life with us and on this planet. My wife was hoping death would just come naturally and we would wake up one morning and he would have passed away. Not as a wish, but as opposed to having to watch his pain and distress as he passed away.

That afternoon at the Vet’s Office, at 3pm we were sitting there with him in the waiting room, waiting to be called, he barely was even moving in his carrier, and had ignored the four or five little treats we usually put in the carrier during transport to the Vet’s, to distract him and get him to accept being there.

The Vet apparently had a “difficult case” that lasted longer than anticipated, and it was almost four pm when we got in to the examining room, weight wise it was even obvious to the vet, Mr. Hiss  had lost very significant more weight in the three weeks since we had been there , to have them check out his “failing condition”. No words were necessary, we all silently agreed the time had come to end any suffering and distress he was having and release him to “kitty cat heaven”, where he could play and just BE a happy kitty cat! The Vet looked to both of us and the little nod told the story,…..we agreed. He gently shaved a spot on Mr. Hiss’s left foreleg and injected him and within seconds he went calm and quiet, and his eyes became dialated, fixed and blank. We both continued to pet him and talk to him for a minute or so, and the Vet put a stethoscope on him in a couple of places, and lifted his head and looked at us and simply said,….”He’s gone”.

While there was a sense of relief that he was no longer struggling, or wondering why, ……we had just lost 18 and a half years of never ending love, and affection, and a member of our family.

While our youngest Son, Jay, passed away this past February, at 40, from Bacterial Meningitis, and we loved him as well. He was a human being and a “grown up”, a Husband, a Father of two Children, and a totally unique person, whom we will always miss and remember for his 40 years on this earth, but there is still a big difference.

Pets offer you an unconditional love, they can melt your heart as quickly as “aggravate you”, but they work hard to never disappoint you and will always world hard to trust and love you totally to the absolute end of life.

I’m sure there is a pet “heaven”, and Barbara and I are equally positive that Mr. Hiss is there,… and is happy, and unfettered,…..after all, they are what they are, but we really are continuing to have a hell of a time trying to live without them!

Good bye Mr. Hiss,….we love you and miss you and after a while we’ll go and get another kitty kat, but you are the model, and the standard, the original kitty cat.

Enjoy your new life and always be happy and good to everyone, what more can we ask?

Rest In Peace.

January 23, 2018

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