A new Entry

Lauren thinks that I should update my blog. Apparently the reason people leave comments is so that other people will read their blogs. I don't really have a blog. But Lauren has a really good one, so everyone should stop reading this and head over to Dream Kitchen. That's what's really happening in my life anyway (with a bit of artistic license thrown in for good measure).

Stop reading! Go to Dream Kitchen!

(are you happy now, Lauren?)

RIP Kabuki

I took Kabuki to the vet yesterday for the last time. She was calm and sat patiently in her carrier while I petted her head. When the time came, the vet took her out of the carrier, shaved a bit of her front paw, and gave her a shot. Kabuki was purring as she laid down. A few seconds later, she was gone.

Her ghost still walks around our house. I still see her when I go in the kitchen. I still hear her at night. She still sits on my lap and purrs while I type on the computer.

Kabuki (February 14, 1997 - February 11, 2005)

Kabuki

On Tuesday, when Lauren took the cats in for their annual checkup, we got the bad news. Kabuki hadn't been eating well and had been losing weight. The cause -- a large tumor in her abdomen. The prognosis -- she wasn't going to be with us much longer. We'll try to make her as happy as we can for her final days.



We got Kabuki in April of 1996. It was a couple months before we got married. We went to the SPCA to see what kittens they had. It was early in the year, so they only had one. She was tiny and only six weeks old. She had just received her vaccinations and was shivering on the top of a tall ladder. We fell in love.



(photos are more recent -- Kabuki's early life was pre-digital)

Kabuki lived with me before Lauren and I got married and Lauren moved in. As a young kitten, she would come up behind me, crawl up the back on my jeans, up the back on my shirt, and then perch on my shoulder. Until she got too large, she frequently rode around the house on my shoulder. She wasn't a clingy cat, but she liked being with people, especially me. She quickly got bigger and her fur grew long and soft. We concluded that she was mostly Maine coon cat. She has the full fluffy tail and tufted paws.




In October, we decided that it wasn't right to have an only kitten, so we made another trip to the SPCA and came home with Kabuki's new brother -- Kato.



Before we had kids, Lauren and I would spend evenings allowing the cats to entertain us by juggling milk rings and doing acrobatics. Later, when we had Jack and Will, we spent less time with the cats. Kabuki still remains my special girl.

Now she is down from 11 pounds to only 6.5. When we pet her, she seems to be only bones, but they are still covered by her beautiful thick fur. Sometimes she looks at me and meows. I don't know what she wants. Maybe she wants me to make the strange softball in her gut to go away. Or maybe she just wants to ride on my shoulder again.





The Kamchatka Syndrome

Have you ever noticed that when you first learn about something, you will hear about it or read about it again within a day or two? Lauren and I have given this a name: The Kamchatka Syndrome. That has nothing to do with my blog or with my life, but hey, it's a cool enough name, isn't it?