A Requiem

A little over two and a half weeks ago, we said good-bye to a long time friend... My sweet kitty, Spartacus, passed away on Labor Day.

I'd had Spartacus since my sophomore year in high school; we got him and his brother and sister when they were kittens. Punkin, Tigra, and Spartacus lived as outdoor cats after they grew big enough to go outside. Subsequently, Punkin (my younger sister's cat) and Tigra (my cat), went the way of the outdoor cat. When I was in college, Punkin disappeared without a trace. After I had graduated and was living at home, Tigra also disappeared. Spartie, however, always managed to come home. After Bob and I got our house, we were able to take Spartacus to live with us, and after years of him firmly believing he should really be an "indoor cat", he finally got his wish.

He was the family cat, and got along well with 99% of the people he met. He loved when Dad and I would make popcorn, because it usually meant that he would also get to eat some popcorn! He continued to enjoy this particular treat on into his "golden years". One of my favorite recent memories of him is the time Bob and I were watching a movie on the couch, and Spart hopped up onto the back of the couch, walked over behind me, and stabbed a fluffy kernel of popcorn right out of my little bowl! He popped it into his mouth right as I exclaimed, and then looked pretty proud of himself.

When we brought Kiba and Yuri home the first time when they were puppies, Spart was at first mistrustful. After all, he had lived 11 years of being an outdoor cat, and dogs were usually out to get him. Yuri came bounding over to see him, and Spartacus bopped him in the face. Unfortunately, this led to a quick vet visit, and began an almost year-long cycle of keeping the puppies and the cat separated. Finally, when we felt like they had acclimated to each other, we re-introduced them. I wasn't sure how Yuri would treat Spart, since their last meeting had resulted in a bit of claw being stuck right next to his eye. Yuri, however, had apparently forgiven AND forgotten, because he immediately walked over to Spartie and began licking his ears... and Spartacus let him! Thanks to Yuri, our vet would frequently remark on how clean the cat's ears were.

One of his most noteworthy quirks was Spartacus' inclination to sit on or in anything new that was on the floor. If a piece of paper dropped, he would walk right over and sit on it. If there was a box or basket, he would jump in and make himself comfortable. He once tried to fit into a shoebox...he ended up looking like a "cat loaf! He also became quite creative with his "fit into things"obsession:

Bob had never had a cat before Spartacus. He was a dog person through and through, and generally did not care too much for cats. Spartie was a remarkable cat, though, and eventually convinced Bob that he was a good kitty.

I know that 15 years is a good, long life for a cat. And that on the day it happened, it really was time; for, though our kitty had enjoyed excellent health the majority of his life, it was discovered about a couple months ago that there was a strong likelihood he had developed lymphoma. Even so, we were so hopeful... It was hard to see him decline.

I was with him through to the end. I did not leave him. I wanted to be there for him. The nurse soothed him at that last visit, saying "your momma's here"..I couldn't help but think that, though the sentiment was right, the wording was wrong. Through all the years I had Spartacus, I never called myself "momma" to him.

Just simply a friend.

Like he was for me.