Snow (1990-2007)

[Judy G. Russell]

Snow was a little bundle of white fur the first time I saw him, on the sun porch of my mother's Virginia farm. He wasn't much more than that the last time I saw him, in the veterinarian's arms, late this afternoon.

But oh... those seventeen years in between. Seventeen years of the loudest meow I have ever heard. Seventeen years of sleeping in my chair, on my bed. Seventeen years of companionship and love.

Snow was one of five kittens born to my mother's cat in April of 1990. Four were solid white and had the congenital deafness to match. Two of those white deaf kittens came home to live with me. He was the larger of the two and, for the longest time, I thought he was the more aggressive, the one I blamed when I heard him scrapping with his sister Mist. (It turned out that I was wrong: the more I watched them, the more I realized that Mist was always the one to start things; Snow was, well... a pussycat.)

He was the one who faced the furred intruder who made it into my house one fall night a few years ago. I came home and found him literally frizzed up to twice his size. I don't blame him; I felt like doing the same thing when I found the raccoon (http://www.jgrussell.com/views/view-tb.htm) who'd managed to get in through a second story window. He was the one who would chase the dot from the laser pen, who would welcome any guest who had the good sense to pet him, and pet him, and pet him. He was the one who managed to get out of the house once when the back door lock was being changed. As a deaf cat, he'd never been allowed out. I can't begin to describe my relief when I found him out there ... and he came to me so that I could grab him and get him safely back inside.

He had the loudest voice of any cat I'd ever seen. (My kitty sitter said he was talkative. I always said he was noisy.) One night, he and his sister were running amok on my bed at about 2 a.m.; I threw them both out of the room and then did the unthinkable -- I closed the door, leaving them in the hall. Snow simply laid down across the threshold, threw back his head and yowled. I leapt out of bed and let them back in. The alternative was probably that my neighbors would have called the SPCA.

Sweet-tempered, people-oriented, he was never more than a few feet away from me whenever I was home for his entire life. For the longest time, he wasn't a lap cat, but in the last few years he would stretch out and sleep on my lap in my recliner.

He made it almost a year longer than his sister did. And he gave me great comfort and joy in that extra time. But the time came today when it was my turn to give him comfort, time to end the pain, time to ease his way. So Snow crossed the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html) this afternoon, where, I hope, Mist (and Junior and Missy and every cat who has ever owned me) will be waiting to welcome him.

http://jgrussell.com/family/snow2.jpg

[Lindsey]

Oh, Judy, I'm so sorry! I have my own memory of being awakened in the middle of the night by those two!

I know you're going to miss Snow, but I'm sure Mist will be glad to have her playmate again. Beautiful cats, both of them.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, Judy, I'm so sorry! I have my own memory of being awakened in the middle of the night by those two! I was thinking about that while I was writing this today. I'm not sure you and Gail were quite as amused as I was, but...

[Gail]

Oh, sweetie, I am so, so sorry! Poor Snow and poor you. I'm glad I got a chance to see him last month. At least he and I had a last conversation, one that was NOT in the middle of the night!

I will never, ever forget the night that those two lunatic cats went racing through your living room at about 2 in the morning. I'm still trying to figure out what Lindsey found so amusing, as she sat there laughing her fool head off with that great laugh of hers, while I grumbled and muttered as I'm wont to do when I'm awakened before full light. <g>

(No one will ever get me to admit that I, too, thought it was hilarious.)

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, sweetie, I am so, so sorry! Poor Snow and poor you. I'm glad I got a chance to see him last month. At least he and I had a last conversation, one that was NOT in the middle of the night!He had a good rich life, and it was his time. I keep telling myself that, and eventually I'll even come to feel it. (I believe it objectively in my head; subjectively, in my heart, it's another story, of course.)

I will never, ever forget the night that those two lunatic cats went racing through your living room at about 2 in the morning. I'm still trying to figure out what Lindsey found so amusing, as she sat there laughing her fool head off with that great laugh of hers, while I grumbled and muttered as I'm wont to do when I'm awakened before full light. <g> (No one will ever get me to admit that I, too, thought it was hilarious.)It was hilarious... And what's funniest to me is the mental image of the look on the cats' faces when their antics were interrupted by this person in what they assuredly thought was their open space: "What the ...????"

[Pats]

I am so very, very sorry, Judy. I know just how painful it is to lose such a beloved, wonderful companion.

He had a wonderful life with you, and the love you share goes on forever.

Hugs,
Pat

[Mike Landi]

Oh, Judy. I'm so sorry. Snow was the cat with diabetes, right?

17 years is a long life for a cat, but still that does not make it easier. My heart goes out to you.

[Lindsey]

I was thinking about that while I was writing this today. I'm not sure you and Gail were quite as amused as I was, but...
Well, it made me laugh when I sat up to see what the ruckus was about and apparently scared them half to death -- I'm not sure how Gail felt about it!

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

I am so very, very sorry, Judy. I know just how painful it is to lose such a beloved, wonderful companion. He had a wonderful life with you, and the love you share goes on forever.Thanks, Pat! It's gonna be a long hard weekend, but even today I am getting better about reminding myself that it would have been cruel to him to make him stay just because I wanted him.

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, Judy. I'm so sorry. Snow was the cat with diabetes, right?Yep. His vet called him her poster child, because we did so well controlling the diabetes with diet alone.

17 years is a long life for a cat, but still that does not make it easier. My heart goes out to you.Thanks, Mike. He was a sweet thing, and he did his best at the end to make it as easy for me as he could. He told me, in actions that spoke louder than any words could have, that it was his time, and then he purred for me as he went under the sedation, as if to say, "Oh yeah... no pain... oh yeah..."

I truly don't know what I believe in, if anything. But if there aren't any cats in heaven, I don't wanna go.

[Judy G. Russell]

Well, it made me laugh when I sat up to see what the ruckus was about and apparently scared them half to deathIt makes me smile to think of the looks on their faces...

[ktinkel]

So Snow crossed the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html) this afternoon, where, I hope, Mist (and Junior and Missy and every cat who has ever owned me) will be waiting to welcome him.

http://jgrussell.com/family/snow2.jpgOh, so sorry to hear this. We lost our beloved Ernie to kidney disease a few months ago, and I still miss him. (So does our remaining cat Pi, I think — her voice has changed, and she has become very passive.) I wouldn’t dream of living without cats, but I wish they lived longer.

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, so sorry to hear this. We lost our beloved Ernie to kidney disease a few months ago, and I still miss him. (So does our remaining cat Pi, I think — her voice has changed, and she has become very passive.)I'm sure she does... Snow, I think, very much missed his sister Mist this past year. And I know you miss your baby Ernie. It's so hard to lose a beloved cat.

I wouldn’t dream of living without cats, but I wish they lived longer.Oh I couldn't agree with you more, on both counts. I have held up for the last few years on doing some major work here in the house because I didn't want to distress elderly deaf cats. Now I will go ahead with it, but that means I really need to wait, probably several months, before going to find the next kitties who want to own me. It will be a hard hard hard several months.

[Pats]

Just last week I lost my own sweet baby Priscilla to kidney disease. She was only 8 years old. She and I gave it a good fight for several months, and we tried everything. Finally she too got to the point that it would have been cruel and selfish for me to make her stay longer.

A couple of new arrivals at the Rainbow Bridge together...

Deepest sympathy, hugs, and purrs,

Pat, Sydney, Elmer, Poppy, Peony, and Priscilla Angel



Thanks, Pat! It's gonna be a long hard weekend, but even today I am getting better about reminding myself that it would have been cruel to him to make him stay just because I wanted him.

[Judy G. Russell]

Just last week I lost my own sweet baby Priscilla to kidney disease. She was only 8 years old. She and I gave it a good fight for several months, and we tried everything. Finally she too got to the point that it would have been cruel and selfish for me to make her stay longer.Oh Pats... that's so awful. That's so so so young to lose a kitty! And I do know what you mean about trying everything... I got to be an expert in sub-cu fluids last year with Mist.

[Gail]

Well, it made me laugh when I sat up to see what the ruckus was about and apparently scared them half to death -- I'm not sure how Gail felt about it!

--Lindsey

The truth be known, I was kind of sorry I didn't have a video camera. <g>

Think about it...... it's the middle of the night, we were sound asleep, and these two lunatic cats came racing through the room making an unbelievable racket. And then there you are, sitting up on a mattress on the floor, laughing your fool head off.

(Aside from being grumpy that I had been awakened) It would have made a really funny video.

Damn, those cats were loud!

[Judy G. Russell]

Damn, those cats were loud!You didn't know? Cats morph into elephants in the middle of the night.

[Pats]

You didn't know? Cats morph into elephants in the middle of the night.

They also increase their numbers exponentially.

[Judy G. Russell]

They also increase their numbers exponentially.And they get clumsy. (Cats don't ever knock anything off and have it shatter during the day time...)

[Mike]

My condolences, Judy.

[Judy G. Russell]

My condolences, Judy.Thanks, Mike...

[Mike Landi]

I can imagine how you must have felt as he went. Knowing that he was not in pain, and knowing he was happy...with you there...but seeing him go.

...I need a tissue....

[Judy G. Russell]

I can imagine how you must have felt as he went. Knowing that he was not in pain, and knowing he was happy...with you there...but seeing him go. ...I need a tissue....I still need a tissue (a box of tissues)... Fortunately, my boss is also a cat person, and has been willing to overlook the brimming eyes phenomenon the past few days...

But truth be told, seeing him go was easier by far than watching him in pain. I was surprised.

[Mike Landi]

seeing him go was easier by far than watching him in pain. I was surprised.


I guess I understand that. Still, not a happy occasion.

[Judy G. Russell]

I guess I understand that. Still, not a happy occasion.That's for sure. I've started immediately moving ahead on the work I need done inside the house. When it's done (probably by fall), it'll be time for more kitties. IMO no house is really complete without a cat.

[Mike Landi]

If you can get a brother/sister pair as young kittens...well, I hope you have the good fortune I've had.

[Judy G. Russell]

If you can get a brother/sister pair as young kittens...well, I hope you have the good fortune I've had.Oh they're just adorable, Mike! That's what I'm going to be looking for, for sure!

[Mike Landi]

To be fair, I picked them out and I looked for intelligence and an outgoing attitude. There were six kittens in the litter and I had lots to choose from.

I had picked Ashley (the tortoise shell) and her sister who had the same markings, just two toned. My wife wanted a male and a female. so I went back to the litter and Scotty basically tried to climb into my hands. That made the choice easy.

Once they got home, I told the boys to pick up the kittens often, NEVER be mean to them, and play with them until they wanted to sleep. We wound up with very outgoing, playful and intelligent cats...especially Scotty. He can open folding closet doors without slowing down and can open boxes, suitcases and cabinet doors. Pain in the butt, but very friendly...and never more than six feet away from us.

He usually sleeps with my older son for a few hours and then joins Lisa and I at the foot of our bed. <g>

[Judy G. Russell]

We wound up with very outgoing, playful and intelligent cats.Sigh... can't ask for better than that. One thing's for sure -- I will never have another congenitally deaf cat. The startle reflex is so high in a deaf cat that it takes years, literally years, to get them to the point of being lap cats, and neither of them ever was comfortable being petted from behind, so they wouldn't lay in a lap and allow themselves to be petted at the same time.

[Mike Landi]

I will never have another congenitally deaf cat. The startle reflex is so high in a deaf cat that it takes years, literally years, to get them to the point of being lap cats, and neither of them ever was comfortable being petted from behind, so they wouldn't lay in a lap and allow themselves to be petted at the same time.


You'll have to get used to having a cat that can hear. Opening the refrigerator, opening the pantry, things like that will attract the kitty. Amazing how quickly they can wake up and get to full speed..... <g>

[Judy G. Russell]

You'll have to get used to having a cat that can hear. Opening the refrigerator, opening the pantry, things like that will attract the kitty. Amazing how quickly they can wake up and get to full speed..... <g>Foolish mortal. How could you not imagine that a deaf kitty would wake up and get to full speed just as fast every time you move? The vibrations on the floor, I guess... though that doesn't explain how Snow managed to be at the door, waiting, every night when I got home. (Vibrations from the garage door opener, perhaps.) Still, he and his sister both assumed that there should be something in it for them every time I moved, much less headed towards the kitchen!

[Mike Landi]

<g> You had real kitties there, didn't you?

The house is going to seem very empty. Get the kittens sooner, rather than later. You'll get used to the empty house, and that will make for a quiet house...and that will make you feel old.

[Judy G. Russell]

The house is going to seem very empty. Get the kittens sooner, rather than later. You'll get used to the empty house, and that will make for a quiet house...and that will make you feel old.Sigh... you're right on every count. But I need to have carpets removed and floors refinished first... I may or may not wait for the new kitchen. Depends on how long it's going to take. And you know... I need a little time to mourn too.

[Mike Landi]

you know... I need a little time to mourn too.


Of course, and please, I did not mean to imply you should not.

After we lost Oreo, Lisa wanted to wait for some time, then wanted to do this and that, then she was not sure....

I forced the issue, and we have the two cats now. That was nine months later.

[Judy G. Russell]

I forced the issue, and we have the two cats now. That was nine months later.I'd hate to wait nine months, that's for sure! I'm very much hoping that everything I want to do indoors can be done by -- at the very latest -- Labor Day. That would be just four months from now. I could wait that long... I think... maybe...

[Mike Landi]

I hope it all works out...meanwhile, remember your two old friends. <hug>

[Judy G. Russell]

I hope it all works out...meanwhile, remember your two old friends. <hug>Thanks, Mike.

[Mike]

If you can get a brother/sister pair as young kittens...
Awww... they are so cute, Mike!

Brent has decided he is ready for animals around the house again, but since we're in a 4th floor unit in our condo building, I have to keep reminding him a dog isn't practical, especially since we have a lot of time when we're out of the house for a day or two (not many long trips). (Cats can get by for that amount of time, but a dog needs to go out at least twice a day, and preferably for enough time to get sufficient exercise.)

Brent now is thinking that cats would be good companions for us. I've told him that we should get a black cat and an orange tabby. Every black cat I've known has been very fond of people, and most orange tabbies are the same.

[Judy G. Russell]

Brent now is thinking that cats would be good companions for us.Brent is a very smart man. But then we already knew that: he picked you, after all...

[ktinkel]

Brent now is thinking that cats would be good companions for us. I've told him that we should get a black cat and an orange tabby. Every black cat I've known has been very fond of people, and most orange tabbies are the same.Finding a cat was about the first thing Jack and I did when we set up housekeeping in Berkeley way back when, and we have never been catless since. Our first cat was a Manx cat, and we would love to have another.

Since then we have had every color and pattern of domestic short-hair, every one of them beautiful in their own feline way. But one thing we have discovered is that males are much more energetic, interactive, and seemingly even more intelligent than females. Not sure why that should be, but it has been our experience and others have said the same thing. So now we are looking for a male kitten as a companion for us and our Pi (who is 16).

I hope you have no trouble finding suitable cats who want to live with you!

[Mike Landi]

Get two kittens of the same age, same litter if possible. They will keep each other company and both will have even tempers since they will not be alone.

The was the best advice the vet gave us after we lost our cat three years ago.

[Mike]

Brent is a very smart man.
<beam!>

[Mike]

But one thing we have discovered is that males are much more energetic, interactive, and seemingly even more intelligent than females. Not sure why that should be, but it has been our experience and others have said the same thing.
Very interesting. I'd never noticed that sort of difference between the sexes. However, I've encountered several males that didn't know they were fixed and kept spraying. I definitely want to avoid that situation!

[Mike]

Get two kittens of the same age, same litter if possible.
We'll certainly try to do that, but just as with children, we don't always get what we first thing, yet love them just the same.

[ktinkel]

Very interesting. I'd never noticed that sort of difference between the sexes. However, I've encountered several males that didn't know they were fixed and kept spraying. I definitely want to avoid that situation!Oh, yes. I think that is usually because they become fully mature before they were fixed.

Our Thomas was like that, and it was when I was a jeweler. He would spray my soldering mat. Then, when I went to use it, when the heat hit it, the strong cat musk odor would expand and intensify (you haven’t spelled cat piss until you find some heated to 400° or so!), and the stupid cat would try to attack the torch and me because he didn’t recognize it as his own.

Never again. We have kittens spayed or neutered as soon as they hit early puberty.

[Mike]

Never again. We have kittens spayed or neutered as soon as they hit early puberty.
We also don't want to have to deal with the alpha cat syndrome. An ex-boyfriend constantly was frustrated by that issue. Not only did both boys fight with each other, but any male guest was tormented by them. Female guests were tolerated.

[ktinkel]

We also don't want to have to deal with the alpha cat syndrome. An ex-boyfriend constantly was frustrated by that issue. Not only did both boys fight with each other, but any male guest was tormented by them. Female guests were tolerated.Yes. In fact Thomas turned on his male kitten Ivan as soon as Ivan hit puberty. Before that he was watchful and solicitous — they were even cuddle bums. Then one day, boom — Thomas tried to chase Ivan out of the house.

In fact, now that I remember that, I believe that was the day we took the vet’s advice and had Thomas and Ivan neutered!

[Mike Landi]

TIATF!