July 06, 2009

Goodbye My Friend


I remember the day I met Elwood. Hubby moved in to our townhouse while I was at work. I was dreading coming home because I was not excited about living with cats. Cats? Yuck. I opened the door from our garage and before I could turn on the light I heard it. "Row-row." (You had to know Elwood to appreciate his unique meow. It still makes me smile when I think about it). I turned on the light. There was the orangest, fluffiest furball I had ever seen. His pushed in persian face made it look like he was scowling, but his eyese were wide and curious... as though he was saying "what are you doing in my house???"
Elwood and I quickly developed an understanding. I understood if I had food it was my job to offer him a taste. If I was on the couch I understood I needed to move over if he wanted to sit there, too. I understood if he wanted to sleep on my feet I was not to complain. He understood I would do all of these things for him. For someone so reluctant to become a cat owner, I was certainly a sucker.
It was hard to be mad at Elwood, even when he was being disobedient. One time we had a chocolate brownie on the counter and one of the cats chewed through the wrapper. We couldn't prove it was Elwood... at least not right away. Later in the day I picked him up and panicked, showing Hubby the blood on Elwood's paw. How in the world had he cut himself? Was he hurt? It was chocolate... he was busted.
Elwood loved to play. He would do back flips as he chased string. He would snort when he ran around the house. Wad up a piece of paper and he could play for hours. A paper sack? Heaven to Elwood.
When we brought our daughters home from the hospital, all our cats were skeptical. We had four cats, did we really need to ruin the dynamics with four babies? Elwood was the first to warm to the girls. He would sniff their heads, check out their room, sleep in their infant carriers... yet he always knew their beds were off limits. When a relative's cat batted Sue-Sue on the head, Elwood came running and gave that cat a good bat on the head, too. When the girls would come home from preschool, Elwood was always by the door waiting for Roo to pet him and give him a big hug.
Even when he became sick, Elwood was a source of entertainment. On the night I brought him home from a tooth extraction, he spied a rabbit outside and took off through an open door, drugged up and running through the dark. Fortunately he was doped up enough that he didn't get far.
Putting Elwood out of his misery was the humane thing to do, but painful nonetheless. He wasn't going to bounce back this time... but it has been a hard few days. At three-and-a-half years old, the girls don't really understand what happened. They know Elwood's not coming home, but they don't understand why. I tried to put it in simple terms: Elwood was too sick for the doctor to help him. He's not coming home, but we can look at pictures and tell stories about him. They still ask where he is, but their questions are starting to diminish.
Elwood was more than a cat... he was part of our family and he will be missed.

15 comments:

Stephanie Barr said...

You have my deepest sympathy. Losing a pet is never easy and losing an integral part of your family is even harder.

Even when you're confident you're doing the right thing, it's desperately sad.

I'm sorry you've lost your friend, your companion.

Quadmama said...

Thanks, Stephanie. I know losing Elwood isn't the same as losing a person, but he had been with us for so long (Hubby got him as a kitten, I met him at 1 year old). It's just really strange not to see him lounging around.

Stephanie Barr said...

It's not "the same" - that doesn't mean it's not devastating.

I cried for days after Bete died.

Sandi said...

awwww, I choked up at the end. It's so hard to explain to kids the loss of a pet. I have a Husky who is about 9 years old. She's a sweetie but a friend just had to put her 10 year old German Shepard down. I can't help but worry about when my Sasha (our dog) might begin to have health issues. I don't even want to imagine that discussion with my girls.

Quadmama said...

The discussion actually went better than I thought. Today, though, Roo asked why I didn't have Elwood's water bowl out for him, so we still have a way's to go with grasping it all.

MaryAnne said...

Elwood sounds like a wonderful cat. I'm sorry...

Quadmama said...

He was pretty cool.. and pretty goofy.

Anonymous said...

That was a huge loss for your little family. I was very sorry to hear about it, but loved your remembrance of Elwood in today's post. Keep up the great job with your blogs and the quads!

Laura said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is so hard to lose an animal that has been such a part of your life.

I still miss my Siamese cat (Monkey) who died (in surgery) a little over two-years ago.

Quadmama said...

I think eventually we'll go a day without talking about Elwood... but that day isn't in the near future.

Cllerm said...

Ohhhh I'm sorry to hear that! Pets are a very special part of our lives!

Anonymous said...

You have my sympathy. It's so hard to lose a pet, especially one with such a cheeky and lovable personality like Elwood.

Quadmama said...

Elwood was definitely a "different" cat. Sometimes I swear he knew what I was thinking LOL!

The Best Family said...

Elwood sounds like a great cat. Losing a pet is so hard. I've lost a few. And we have a black Lab who is getting really old. Wishing you many good thoughts of Elwood.
-Shannon in Austin
PS: Thanks for being a 'Follower' :)

Quadmama said...

Thanks Shannon.

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