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Today’s webcomic is dedicated to Toothless, our grey tabby who passed away very suddenly last Tuesday. He was four years old. He had apparently developed a heart defect that we didn’t know about and Tuesday afternoon he had a sudden heart attack. He was gone within fifteen minutes.
Toothless and his brother Hiccup came to us as kittens a few years ago. Our neighbor’s daughter fosters abandoned animals and she had found a litter of three kittens. Her dad knew we were thinking of getting a cat so he asked me if we’d be interested in adopting the two boys. Hiccup was an adventurous orange and white tabby with an appetite the size of a black hole. Toothless was a tiny grey kitten, very shy and very quiet. As soon as I saw them I said yes. We had been too long without cats and I knew these two guys would be perfect for our family.
Hiccup has grown up into a healthy, handsome fellow who begs for treats non-stop and likes to co-habitate the room with his humans, occasionally demanded affection. He will probably eat us out of house and home, purring his love to us all the while.
Toothless was always quieter. He would spend most of the day hiding in one spot or the other. He was always slim, a grey shadow that slipped from room to room when you weren’t looking. He did like to cuddle up whenever we were sleeping, and he spent most of his nights with Princess, curled up at her feet, or sometimes draped over her head. He was truly her cat, more than anyone else’s. There were times, though, when he would lay claim to me. If ever he found me lying in bed when he was making his rounds, he would come push against my hand, then walk back and forth over me until finally settling down on my neck, preventing me from getting up and doing anything that might remotely resemble work. He would do this when he found me reading in bed, sometimes shoving his behind right in my face, and he’d really tread all over me in the evenings if someone was late getting him his dinner. It was his gentle way of saying, “I love you, but you must bend to my will no matter what now.”
We all miss our furry grey companion. Princess took it very hard. Fortunately we were there when the heart attack hit, so she was able to stay with Toothless and comfort him until he passed. She is doing better now, but misses having Toothless in her bed.
Hiccup, meanwhile, has been sticking closer than usual to his people. He napped with me today, and is currently perched behind me on the couch, waiting for me to go upstairs to bed. I’m glad he’s still with us, though I worry about him becoming lonely. I expect before long we will adopt another cat to be a companion to Hiccup and a furry ball of love to us all.
Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of support last week when I first announced Toothless’ passing. I appreciate all the kindness and caring. I will let you know how things continue to go.
by Therese Laskey. You can see him on the cover even!