RIP Trouble, 1989-2004

[quietann]

My dad's cat Trouble was put to sleep this afternoon. He had developed pouches in his colon leading to frequent and severe constipation over the past 2 years, and was no longer a happy enough kitty enough of the time...

He started out as my cat; I got him as a half-grown kitten in 1989, and in 1990 he and my other cat and I went to California for a couple of months. I offered him to my parents because it was clear he was happier being an indoor-outdoor cat rather than an apartment cat. Given his stellar personality, they of course said yes. He spent the next 11 years of his life at their house, with occasional visits to neighbors' houses (he got locked into their garages on a regular basis, and visited the older lady next door every day, whether she fed him or not.) Trouble was part-Siamese, so he talked a lot, about everything. As he got older, his talking took on a "grumbling" tone, and he became quite fussy.

His favorite place to sleep was (I kid you not) on my dad's genitals. After my mom died in 2000, there were times that my dad says his only reason for living was that Trouble needed him every day. Trouble was always affectionate and had a nice big purr for anyone he met, plus a cat vocabulary of about 20 other expressions (for a while, he said "Mee-OUT" when he wanted to go outside). He accompanied my dad to a retirement home in 2001, by which time he was old enough to enjoy having his outdoor area small and fenced. My dad's new wife, Helen, claimed not to like cats, but Trouble spent as much time as possible on her lap, and she never turned him away.

Ben took the photo while we were in California recently. Trouble was full of purrs, but not much else. I'll miss him.