Loss of a pet

This is not a happy post, but it is one I need to write in order to deal with this.

This morning Beavis slipped out when Adam brought Cooper out for his morning ritual. Because the cats are usually hard to catch and it was raining so we assumed he would go hide under a car, Adam left him outside. When I went out less than 20 minutes later to head to my yoga class and try to convince the cat to come in I found him. Beavis was hit by a car on the road in front of my house. I couldn’t have been more horrified when I realized it was my cat there at the end of the drive way. We think he died instantaneously of a broken neck.

What is most upsetting about this is that Beavis used to have permission to spend time outdoors when supervised until he had a near miss a month or so ago. Then he had slipped across the road and decided to respond to my call to come back as cars where traveling both directions on the road. Nearly getting hit twice a few feet away from me.

Beavis was just over two years old. We adopted him as a 10 month old. He was just another “generic black cat”. We were lucky that a shelter volunteer pointed him out. At the time we were looking for a young short-haired cat that would get along with our other cat Audrey. He had been in the shelter for 2 months and he worked out wonderfully.

At first he wanted nothing to do with us. He enjoyed playing with Audrey and was a great companion to her. After about 2 months of being with us he warmed up to us.

In fact he warmed up to us so much that he would occasionally get in the shower with me if I had not slept at home the night before.

He was an independent animal, but he loved being pet and would talk to me. He played with Audrey, when we got Cooper he adapted to Cooper quicker than Audrey did. He kept the puppy in line. He slept next to me when Adam was out of town. He’d get in bed with me when Adam gets out of bed in the morning. He meowed at me if I stayed in bed too long.

In short he was my buddy. He was my cat of the two. I feel terrible that he got out. I feel terrible that we didn’t scramble to get him back into the house. I’m going to miss him tremendously.

We will get another cat in a few weeks, in a few months, I’m not sure. The cat will not replace Beavis, but will help fill the role of playmate to Audrey, as friend to me. In the meantime I will snuggle with my puppy and other cat to help me feel better.

R.I.P. Beavis
February 24, 2009 – June 21, 2009

Related posts:

1. Cats in the dog food
2. Cats on a Roof
3. Cat multiplication
4. Our Poodle Puppy
5. 10 Reasons I’m a Bad Pet Mom