My Cat Woobly

In the last couple of years I have experienced more losses then I thought I could bear. I have lost a husband, both parents, my home, and two sons going off to college. And yesterday, my beloved family pet of 16 years gave up a valiant battle ending with kidney failure. Most people would scoff at the last fatality, but in some ways it was the final blow to a long list of life changes and heartbreaks that have recently entered my life. With each blow, I turned the other cheek, forced myself back up as I wavered or fell to the ground, and I endured and continued on in this mysterious journey called life. I have cried, screamed, shook a fist at the powers that be, and then composed myself, taken deep breaths,survived the losses or changes, and moved on.
But, today, hours after the vet informed me that my little guy didn’t make it, I still feel shattered. My eyes are swollen from non-stop weeping, my stomach feels like I have been punched in the gut, and the love that I have bottled up inside has no little furry friend to cuddle, hold, and talk to.
My cat, Woobly, was purchased 16 years ago when my youngest son, then in first grade, went with me to the home of a former student to pick out a new kitten from a litter of Persians. It was the reward to my child, Johnny, for being so brave after breaking his leg and enduring a full leg cast with a cheerful smile. His father asked him what he wanted as he lay in the hospital waiting for surgery and he whispered, “A kitty.”
And so the quest to find a family feline began. I personally leaned towards a sweet female bluish gray kitten while he chased after a skittish, unfriendly orange male who was the wildest of the bunch. Without a doubt the handsomest, but the least interested in him. Other kittens pooled around his feet as he raced after the only boy and grabbed hold of a kitten not the least bit concerned about giving or receiving love. In the end, since it was going to be his cat, he made the selection. And we took home, a frightened baby kitty with giant green/hazel eyes, red and white long fur and that smooshed in face that is so endearing in Himalayan cats. No one knew then that that tiny feline would outlive most of my family members and take Johnny from first grade up until he was a senior in college. Nobody could have imagined the attachment, the love, or the friendship that that yelping baby kitty would see in his lifetime or that we would feel.
The kitten hadn’t been in the house a half an hour when he found a hole in the kitchen cabinets and climbed up and got stuck. Crying and moaning until my husband came home, he was finally saved and we built barricades to house in our new furry friend so that he wouldn’t venture out into our large Coral Springs home and get into any more trouble. We blocked up the unknown secret passage in our oak kitchen and thought all would be well.
Johnny’s father was furious with us both for secretly arriving home with the cat against his wishes. He had promised Johnny a pet when he was so sick in the hospital but then reneged as he recalled his childhood pet, Daisy, the cat that he had loved for almost 20 years and said he could never bear a loss like that again. I chose to ignore him, as I often did, because to me a promise is a promise and I knew Johnny wouldn’t understand his father’s reasoning at such a young age. Thus, we had our newest member of the family and my husband was not pleased. Johnny and I, however, were quite content. The year was 1995.
It soon became apparent that Mr. Alexander, Chanticleer, Shakespeare KLuchin Moniz would go through a variety of names until Johnny found the right one. Bubblegum was a brief name that didn’t seem to fit and with such prestigious paperwork and a long line of fancy cats and pedigrees, I felt he deserved fancy cat status on paper. But, somehow, somewhere, sometime, the name of Woobly came into being and stuck with him. Johnny recalls his father saying the name one evening and it fit his persnickety personality and he loved repeating it over and over again. And so for 16 years, Our boy Woobly has been the source of, aggravation, crankiness, bratiness, intelligence, ability to do amazing tricks, loud purrs, uncanny ability to charm the pants of any visitor to enter the house... and in the end, became everyone’s best friend. Even big brother, Seth. When my oldest son came home for a visit, he was disappointed when our newest family member, the cute kitty snubbed him and pranced off to hide and play in another part of the house. Woobly would be a source of friendly irritation to Seth for years to come. It wasn't until he married and his children took delight in The Woob that he came around. They chased after the cat and somehow, the old feline endured the children and that finally softened Seth to the old fellow.
My sweet kitty stayed with me, sleeping by my side when I got divorced and when Johnny’s father passed away. He nuzzled in my arms as each of my parents passed, he comforted me when the last of my children drove off into the sunset to college and I was for the first time all alone in the world, except for my boy, Woobly. He helped me endure when I lost my home during a difficult economy, and had to live for a month in a one room hotel, just me and my kitty until I found a reasonable place to stay in an over 55 development. Woobly then delighted the residents as he peered through the kitchen widow to see the neighbors. I would return home from work and there would be a row of old folk laughing and waving to him as he entertained them crying out in cat language with his antics. He made moving and losing everything OK.
Each morning when I woke he would trot off the bathroom and nuzzle my legs and then race to the kitchen for a morning treat and food. He greeted me at the door each evening after work calling out to me first from the window and then I’d hear that familiar pounce to the ground as he'd run to the door. That was my boy, my boy Woobly.
Over the years, he did some not so pleasant things too. If I stayed at work too late he’d poop at the entryway to let me know he was angry and that I should have come home sooner. Or he’d poop or pee right by the computer to again let me know he wasn’t getting as much attention as he needed. He wouldn’t let you brush his long luxurious coat as he got older and would nip at you, if you tried to comb him. And so the task of getting him groomed became a part of his routine. My husband could hold him for the groomers and wore gloves to protect himself as an angry cat didnt understand that he needed to be subjected to this ordeal for his own good. A good grooming and Mr. Woobs would once again be fine for a few more months. And as he continued to aged he still looked gorgeous, but suddenly wasn't able to clean himself very well anymore and his long beautiful hair often became matted, so now it became a health necessity for him to get haircuts. When we moved to Davie we found a wonderful animal hospital called Indian Trace and a marvelous Vet named Dr. Kuhn who didn’t seem to mind clipping him and dealing with Woobly's persnickety or cranky behavior. She trimmed him, cared for him, showed him kindness, love, and gave Johnny and I understanding and compassion in his final days. I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor. And I am so grateful that if he had to go...he was with her and her staff at the end. And so I write this little memorial to try to rid myself of the pain, the hurt, and the loss. And as I write I know that won’t happen, because he was loved and animals or people who are loved are mourned. This will take time because I am grieving.... just as deeply as I did when my parents died, I am just as much at a loss and feel the same emptiness I did when Johnny’s father left us and my kids went off to college, and the four walls around me seemed to crush the air out of my very chest. But I survived those losses and I know that Woobly will live on in my heart as another precious family member who touched my life and my soul. One who made me laugh, cry, sometimes made me angry, and also let me adore him. I love you little buddy. Thank you for being my child, my pet, and my companion for 16 wonderful years. Xoxoxo Mommy