The Cat of Many Names

19 years is a long time in cat life, but much too short in human life. That's Casey in the rear and Merlin in front. Casey is around 10 years old and Merlin rests in peace. After a long battle with a variety of illnesses, Merlin's body, but not his spirit, succumbed to colitis.

We've lived with cat companions for more than half our lives. All have distinct personalities, yet there are some that stand out. Merlin was one of those stand-outs. Dr. Jean Duddy, our Vet, described Merlin's violence rating as 0 on a scale of 1-10. He was, without doubt, the most gentle and loving cat we have ever known. He might complain about something being done to him, but he wouldn't bite or scratch. Sedatives were not needed for Vet type stuff, unlike Casey, who at 24 lbs of Maine Coon Cat will certainly let it be known if he is not in favor of a procedure. For Merlin, if mats needed to be trimmed, just go do it. He would complain, but that was all.

Merlin lived to love and be loved. In fact, we had to be careful not to pay too much attention to him when he was eating as he would leave his food in favor of attention. Laps were his favorite part of the human anatomy, followed by fingers for scratching and noses for rubbing. In time he learned that getting his head close to your heart was even better... but once asleep, he expected you to sit still and not disturb him. He had a thing for noses, particularly if he could smear his wet nose across your glasses while saying hello. Maine Coon Cats can be very demonstrative in their behavior. Merlin followed us around, greeted us at the door and talked constantly. And of course preferred to be carried rather than have his paws touch the ground. His favorite carrying position was The Handbag. Sling him under your arm like a handbag, rear end dangling, and he was in heaven.

Did I mention his talking? Merlin had at least 8 distinct vocalizations that let me know what he was feeling wanting or not wanting. And he rarely shut up. The house is much too quiet now. Casey is not much of a talker, except when he is hungry. Merlin would let us know if he was happy, sad, hungry, angry, wanted to go out to the porch, wanted to be picked up, didn't want to be bothered or just wanted attention. He was one of those cats who would purr simply by being looked at.

And then there was the PAW. Somewhere along the line, Merlin discovered the power of the paw, initially if he was hungry, but then if he wanted anything. The paw came out. Tap tap tap on your leg, arm, head, ear, whatever he could reach. It was his way of saying pay attention to me, get me food, wake up, nuzzle me, scratch me. Sometime it was a gentle tap, but if you wanted to sleep and he wanted food, that tap became a firm smack on the head. No claws, just the smack.

Merlin was the Phlegmatic Cat. Rarely did anything disturb him, unlike Casey, who does not realize he is a huge cat and is afraid of most everything. Merlin was not bothered by much of anything. Years ago Dr. Duddy tried to do a neurological exam on him but Merlin would not respond. He just purred. There was nothing neurologically wrong with him... he just didn't feel like participating. As he got older and his hearing and vision became worse, at times I thought he was blind or deaf. We discovered that  he could hear you and see you, but only when he felt like it. Most cats will twitch an ear, wrinkle the skin on their back or flick their tail as a response. Not Merlin. He sat there like a stone until he felt like responding. And then he responded loudly and continuously until he got what he wanted. Not that we spoiled him.

Later in life, the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital of the MSPCA became an often visited place. Although he certainly didn't like the place, he did make many friends amongst the staff. They say that cats have nine lives. Merlin used up a few of those lives over the years, surviving pneumonia, diabetes, arthritis, cardiac problems, infections and IBD. Alas, it was the IBD that finally got the better of him. Dr. Duddy of the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital literally saved his life on more than one occasion as he contracted various illnesses. Each time we thought that it was the end for him, but through the dedication, skills and love of the staff of the hospital, along with his own toughness, he pulled through. During his last months, Dr.'s Duddy, Pugh, Kharzod and O'Kelly, along with Abbie, gave him the best care possible along with love and attention.

19 is a long life for a cat. But much too short for us. There's a hollow in our lives when we lose a pet, an emptiness that needs to be filled even though we know it can never be filled by anything but the return of our companion. We are blessed by their presence and gifted by the memories of their love and attention. Even if it is difficult to go sleep without their warmth by our side, the memories can lull us to sleep.

Did I mention his names? Merlin, Moopsila, Moopers, Puppy, Pups, Mooples, Stinky, Noisy, Merly and most likely others that I can't remember. And he responded to all of them.

The only problem with living with cat companions is that it's just too darned quiet when they reach the end of their much too short lives.

Till next
Gary