Last Monday was a sad one here at The Pavilion.
Recently "Mike The Cat" had been experiencing a lot of visible pain while trying to eat. Based on a medical exam from last week, it was believed that he had an abscessed tooth that needed attention. Meanwhile, I fed him a diet of baby food and/or a tuna fish 'gruel' that I blended up in a food processor. Monday morning I brought Mike to the vet for what was supposed to be fairly "routine" oral surgery. Mike was sedated for the procedure and then while under general anesthesia, his heart stopped and he couldn't be revived. The vet called just a couple of hours after I dropped him off, to tell me what had happened. To her credit, she sounded genuinely sad and regretful.
Next month, Mike would have been around for 10 years. He was still very lively and robust. I never doubted he had at least a few more good years left, so this was a shock. I'm having a surprisingly rough time with it. I keep expecting to see Mike in all of the usual places around the house; greeting me on the front porch or scratching to get into the office room. I know this sense of displacement is how I'll be feeling for some while to come. Now I understand what people say about how losing a pet can hurt like losing a (human) family member.
Truth be known, I was never much of a cat person before I became responsible for Mike, as expressed in this little online tribute I wrote about him, nine years ago:
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A brief word about cats.. and "Mike The Cat"
I never truly disliked cats per say.. But as an admittedly biased dog person, I have previously viewed cats as being generally useless, often annoying and somewhat over-rated as a (supposedly) domesticated species. ..However, after getting stuck with "Mike," I've come to reconsider my take on the little bastards.
Mike is definitely possessed of a distinct personality that goes beyond his inherently clever instincts to dispose of his own bodily wastes and thin out the local bird population.
Like any intuitive room-mate, he cracks me up when I need it, or respects my space accordingly ..He clearly lets me know if I'm intruding on his territory!
He has also demonstrated being an eerily accurate gauge of human character. - Apparently better than I am at times.
Mike tends to avoid close contact with new human acquaintances until he is comfortable with their nature and overall intentions. (Possibly a wise idea, eh?) There is no mistaking if Mike approves of someone, but if he maintains a permanent distance, it's likely proven later to be for a good reason."
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Those who also knew this funny old cat in person all agree that Mike was a unique character, as evident in the numerous sympathy messages I have received.
He is and will always be seriously missed here at The Pavilion.
Rest easy buddy and thank you for being my friend.
