The Lord of His Realm
Posted October 1st, 2007 at 8:38AM
He was part Siamese, with beautiful tabby markings and green-blue eyes. He was a chatty cat. And a fierce one too. He had a large territory and fought often to defend it. I have lost count the number of times I would have to take him to the vet to have an abscess drained. The vet told me he must be a boxer. When I asked him what he meant, he said it was because they were always head wounds. He asked if I had had him desexed, I said he had been at 5 months old, the minimum age to do it. He smiled and said some cats were just born fighters. We kept him in at night and let him roam through out the day. He chose me to be 'his' human and love me to the exclusion of everyone else in the house. He would wait on the front porch for me to come home from school, a habit he kept up all through until I finished uni. He had my schedule down pat. No matter how often it changed, especially at uni, it would only take him a week to work it out. And when he would see me coming up the street he would rush out to greet me meowing away, almost as if he was telling me about his day. Every morning after he ate, he would come into my room and climb under the covers with me. He would stay for a while a warm, loving, purring mass of cat, before he went out to do his morning patrol. And he would stay with me at night stationing himself where ever I was, from the living room until I went to bed and then he would snuggle down under the covers with me when I went to bed. He loved lying with his head on my arm, one ear pressed against my chest. I think he liked to hear my heartbeat. During summer he would station himself, usually on my pillow, near my head. He was loyal, and loving and fiercely protective of me he growled and hissed if he thought I was being harmed. He died in 2003, he had a massive stroke, I found him in the backyard, he looked as if he had died in mid step. I held his cold body and some part of me kept thinking if I could make him warm, he'd be ok. I dug his grave under the grapevine that he loved to sleep under, I dug until my hands bled. I laid him in his grave, then I took his collar for that would be for me to take with me, and then I took off my signet ring and l placed it upon his leg for that was his to take. I covered him with vine leaves and filled in his grave.
Dante and Regis were already part of the household by that stage, and for a while time I resented their presence. They were not like my Lord Garfield, they were intruders. I could not even look at them, let alone pet them. Lord Garfield had been with me for 17 years, since I was 11. Even now I feel the tears come when I think of him.
I did eventually get over my resentful thoughts about Dante and Regis and I love them both. But, Lord Garfield, there will never be another cat like him, never. I still miss him, he was the only thing in my life that had loved me unconditionally.
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I understan how you feel. My Lord Michael was that improtant to me. He always knew when I was sad. He would come and put his paws on my chest, look at me and gently lick my tears away. I miss him so much.
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Your boy was so lucky to have you. Can you imagine what it would be like, from the moment you're born to the moment you go on ahead, to be loved and cared for, have all your needs attended to by someone who always put you first? Your Lord Garfield was lucky. You were a wonderful
"mom" to him, and his life was blessed. -
Just reading your story again brought tears to my eyes. I have my Lady Angelique and my dog Missy but I miss Lord Michael so much. Not all creatures have that type of bond with their humans and more is the pity but then it wouldn't be as special then would it?
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Absolutely beautiful... *sigh* Reminds me of my own kitty companion Rob. I'd tell you about him but thinking on him too long still makes me teary.
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I completely know how you feel. I used to have an all black tomcat that I felt the same way about. His name was Bagheera. He was the best cat I ever had. A fighter like your Lord Garfield. He also had a knack with schedules and was constantly getting absesses as well. You were lucky to have Lord Garfield so long. I was not that lucky. Bagheera sadly left us after 9 years of wonderful times together, in 2001. I miss him terribly. I had other cats at the time as well and I too resented their presence a little after my Baggy was gone. I will never forget him. I now have a new Bagheera, named in honor of the first, that looks almost Identical to the first and even acts similar. I know he is not my first Baggy, No cat will ever replace him. But my new Baggy does a great job coming close.
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My baby was amazing..she passed away a few months ago...She had Kitty Aids and she bled almost to death on our bathroom floor--it was horrible. But, a new kitty came into our lives. It is horrible to lose a loved one, but when a new one comes into your life they bring a special feeling that you never knew you could have! I Love Cats!!!!
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My eyes and nose are leaking now! My girl likes to come in the kitty cave sometimes..its so nice...he sounds like a wonderful friend..i hope you meet him on the other side :::wipes tears:::
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Sounds like a great cat.. I wish they could all stick around for a lot longer.
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I have a cat named havoc....He is part siamese--blue eyes and some tabby markings....Today is the first time he ever jumped on my bed--He's a year old this month. I have really become attached to him.... thank you for your story, it brought tears to my eyes.
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Of course I can relate.
I had Bob and Melmer for 20 years. People have come and gone from my life but I always had my "boys". They were more important to me than the people in my life during those years..
Well, there came a time when I was not there for them ...and it will haunt me forever.
I hope and pray that when we get to where we are going (after death) that those soul's will be there and will forgive me for doing the best that I could at that time. My love carries on and that is all I ever had to give anyway -
I love all my cats too, past and present, they are a part of my family, I even " married " one of them, It turned into a standing joke. The kids would say "why have you married Rupert'? i would tell them cause he doesn't fart in bed, he doesn't go to the pub, he eats whatever i give him and doesn't moan, he's loves to cudldle, he talks to me, he waits for me to come home and runs to me when i do, he sits with me when i'm watching tv, and we love each other, sadly my heart broke (as it always does when i lose one of them, felines or canines) an i'm left a widow. Thank you, your story touched my heart.
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I know how you feel we had a ragdoll Pretty from outside and we took her in and took care of her she had feline leukemia she died 3 months later. She was like an angel as when we had her all the cats ate together never fought or hissed it was like the lion laying down with the lambs. as one of our cats we took in (bones, declawed, shaved completely except for a bit of fur on his shoulders and in Chicago winter) she even got Sunny to play and he just eats, sleep and want me to hold him...We had to put her brother down too as he was a himlayan it broke my heart to see both of them go, but Pretty (as she was so pretty) it is not the same without her peace, love and joy in my home as now Sammy is fighting with Thor, baby sophia but now he has the boys Reggie and rocket who are males and they give him a run for his money as they play as rough as he does...Cats are like people there are one in a milliion relationships and one in a milliion cats that there is no one like them...At least your cats has all those years with you...
I know cats and dogs go to heaven as when my brother passed away I had a vision of him in heaven and when I was driving I head his voice say "I would love it in heaven" *I am psychic so I was able to connect with him...the day we put our dog and cat down I had the same vision of them walking up that ramp over the stars to heaven to the glowing bright light...and my dad came to me in a vision to let me know that Snickers (16 years old) was with him..
So find some peace that your cat is in heaven and when you go you will see the special friend again!! -
ive had my cat since kindergarten. (im seventeen now) and he is a tabby/Siamese and i lvoe him to death. I feel for you.
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Beautiful story I have a similar relationship with Leu Bai one of my 2 cats who is also part Siamese & of the 3 cats I had before him when i was growing up his personality is so different he's very loving, interactive & he loves to just be where I'm. I know that a lot of his personalty trate's that I love in him are from the Siamese part of him & any cats I get later in life will be part Siamese at lest that is if I'm the one pick the cat & its not the cat picking me like it was with my Leu Bai.
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I love cats too! Right now Ma has my 4 cats,and she has 4.In fact I stay at Ma's acouple nights a week so I can visit my babies! I found in my 47yrs of life,I've grown to like animals way more then I like or trust humans! My cats wont backstab me unlike so called friends will!
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It sounds as if Lord Garfield was truly your "familiar" - a cat with whom you felt a great and deep connection, so deep that he felt like a part of you. I have a female cat, now in her third incarnation. In her first life with me (in this lifetime of mine) she came in the early 1980's, and lived only until she was 6. At that time she had a fight with 3 dogs which she lost. I was heartbroken, and felt like I'd lost a limb.
But a few months later (as long as it would take a kitty to be born & grow to be about 8 weeks old), she re-appeared as a small kitten crying on my side porch. Although she looked different, it soon became clear that Jenny was previously Evy: they had the same temperament and shared some of the same odd habits. And we felt the same intense closeness to each other. Jenny disappeared one October morning in 1999 at the age of 9.
After almost a year, I had to admit that she must be dead and wouldn't/couldn't return as Jenny. So I asked her "How will I know it's you when you come back?" Then 2 nights in a row I had a dream about an orange cat with unusual black markings. The next day I saw a sign posted for 4 kittens - the cat in my dreams was one of them. That was 11 years ago. She's still our special Princess - even though we have 5 others at this time.
And when she leaves this life, we know she'll come back once more. Any questions? See Amelia Kincaid's books on communicating with your animals! -
Love this story !, I have been a cat lover all my life too. I just lost my beloved Kiki. A tiny Siamese that we adopted last yr. after someone dumped her at the pound at 18 yrs old!. We had her only from Oct. to this Nov. Her kidneys went and that was that, she was like a little whisper, a breeze , I adored her
and in only 1 year she left a huge impact on us. She was sickly but so loving . The other cats loved her too and can tell they miss her.
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