RIP: Big Cat

  

Sometimes, things come into your life and you don't realize how important they will become. 

Once upon a time, a yellow cat arrived at The County Line. At this point, we don't remember the details. He was likely a member of a litter of kittens. His siblings are no longer remembered. If I have photos of him as a baby, they are buried in plastic tubs in the basement. 

But that little yellow cat grew to be Randy's favorite. Eventually, he became Big Cat. 

Randy and I both grew up with farm cats. Those cats come in and out of your life fairly frequently. Life on a farm can be dangerous - for people and for animals. We don't know exactly how old Big Cat was. Brent thinks that Big Cat was part of the family when he was still living here at home in high school. (Brent graduated in 2006) And our son-in-law, Eric, confirms that Big Cat has been around as long as he has been. Eric probably had his first visit to the farm in early 2007.

But we are sad to report Big Cat's passing. While we were at the high school football game Friday night, a couple of roaming dogs came into the farm yard and killed Big Cat and our newest kitty. Since the girls haven't been here to name that smallest cat, it didn't have a formal name. But I guess, as it turns out, it's appropriate that we just called it Little Kitty. 

If you're a long-time reader, you know I'm not an animal person. (Yes, I know admitting that causes people to question my humanity.) Before we got married, I did not offer any false advertising about my stance on animals in the house. I didn't grow up with them, and Randy did. As I like to say, it was part of the pre-marriage negotiations. 

However, even I modified my stance - to a certain degree. Yes, during the summer when he shedded unmercifully, Big Cat was relegated to the outside with the other farm cats. But come wintertime, Big Cat could come in for an evening of TV viewing with his favorite person - as long as he stayed on his blanket.

I joked that Big Cat was a one-person cat. I was more often than not on the receiving end of what I called Big Cat's "evil eye." 

However, even I would greet Big Cat when I returned to the house. In recent years, it seemed Big Cat spent most of his day snoozing near the back porch. Sometimes, I'd have to nudge him aside to get down the back steps. 

As Big Cat aged, he spent more and more time taking naps. (I suppose the same could be said of cats' human counterparts.) 

Big Cat was definitely the Patriarch of The County Line Cat Kingdom. And while Randy did his best to tame new baby kittens - especially before visits from our granddaughters and our daughter-in-law, Susan - Big Cat was still Number 1 in his heart.

It's not like we thought Big Cat would live forever. In fact, Big Cat had probably used all nine of his lives and a few more for good measure. Randy had mentioned several times that Big Cat was probably living on borrowed time. 

But both of us hate that Big Cat didn't have a peaceful death, gently falling asleep, dreaming his cat dreams. 

Randy wanted to find a fitting place to bury Big Cat and Little Kitty. He chose to lay them to rest among the lilac bushes south of the house.  

We know we'll long remember Big Cat. But maybe those memories will be especially poignant when the lilacs bloom.

If you're somewhere nearby and have a yellow kitten you'd part with, please let us know.