My cat adventure started off with the fated kitten, Freckles. Louie the ginger cat was meant to be her companion, but she died after surgery, barely six months old. Louie was fated, too. I had him only 22 months before he died of lymphoma, but he was a great introduction to cats.
Louie was a big cat. Sometimes he’d jump up on your lap without warning.
Louie usually slept with his tail curled under this way.
My favorite photo of Louie’s tail.
Louie postage stamps.
Door warning. (Louie wasn’t mean, but he was big.)
Louie loved the snow!
Louie ended up on coffee mugs, too. Lots of them.
Louie liked to watch the scene outside the back door.
This one is the day Louie had an epiphany: The bottom part of his lair barfs water! He was very, very alarmed!
In his spare time, Louie was a kitty super hero. (Captain Me-Ow)
Louie enjoyed World Cup and had favorite teams, you bet!
Louie’s nemesis, TACO! (Dougy and Andy thought Taco was scary.)
They meet under the fir tree…!
Louie climbed on the kitchen table to check out this bouquet. Bad kitty!
His veterinarian estimated him to be five years old when I got him, so I anticipated having him for 10-15 more years. Not to be.
Kitties are special people, and I know you miss both of them, Doug. Louie and Freckles were wonderful kitties. Wish the time you had with them could have been longer.
For sure. I think Louie would have been less aggressive towards other cats if he had had Freckles around to “socialize” him. She treated him as a playmate, and he seemed pleased if a bit surprised that little ball of fur play-attacked him!
Once again, I’ve hit something on the keyboard that wiped out a comment and my response. If I ever figure out what it is, I’m ripping that f-ing key off my keyboard!!!!!!! Sorry for the strong language (or suggestion of it), but I’ve had it with this new problem. One should never be able to wipe out anything without a “Do you really want to do this?” prompt.
I think the comment was from Marc-Andre, and he expressed sympathy for the lose of Louie the ginger cat and Freckles, both after short times with me. I was in the middle of a long response back when I hit whatever it is that wiped it out.
He looked to be a most superior feline. It sounds like paved the way to your slave-dom with Dougy and Andy.
That he did! (And he was a very special kitty in many ways.)
What a beauty Louie was and I know you have had your share of heart ache also Doug in loosing fur babies.
I thought Louie had the most beautiful patterns in his fur of any tabby I’;d ever seen, and the pattern on his head was particularly beautiful. I will always remember what a special kitty Louie was in my life.
It is heart-wrenching when we lose them, but I think worse when they go too soon. Not enough time. We lost Patches’ brother, Buster, at the age of 3. He was a very sick boy – all kinds of medical problems; with it all, he was the sweetest, friendliest and caring cat. He took Rusty under his care when Rusty was a new kitten in our house and bonded with him. They were inseparable – slept together, etc. The loss was felt very deeply.
You are exactly right about these early loses. RIP Buster.
Looks like you and Louie appreciated every minute you had together. What beautiful memories !
Absolutely! I am glad I managed to make a few videos of him as well, and those are still posted on my YouTube account. They help me recall his sound and how he moved. My favorite videos are of walks I took with Louie. (phainopepla 95)
I always hate losing wonderful friends – bi or quadruped. Rom was my ‘best cat ever’, so I created a fictional character (Xander de Hunter) based on Rom, then I wrote The Red Claw in memory of him… I didn’t expect it to grow into a series, but book #5 is now being edited, so it obviously has and Rom appears as Xander on every cover. You probably think this is an odd way to keep a pet close, but it works for me.
Nor at all. I think we each find ways to do this, and you use your creativity and imagination to create this series of books. I think it is especially touching – and wonderful! Which reminds, me. I have your book to read…!
While I originally began The Red Claw as a tribute to Rom, I’ve included many others, as well. For instance, Xander’s best buddy, Merlin, is based on my sister’s beloved Wizzard, Sir Simon is based on Kiara’s Toby; Fluffy is based on Emily… it’s a lot of fun to fictionalize dear old furry friends.
I am anxious to clear some time to begin reading RED CLAW…
Hope you like it.
I’m sure i will!
Aw, it’s sad when they leave us sooner than we expect. Just remember all the good times you had together.
That I do. I’m glad I have photos and videos of Louie to remind me of his personality and beauty. Unfortunately, I have just one photo of Freckles as I got her before I really understood how my digital camera worked.
I’m so grateful for smart phones. I have most of my videos fromthat. I regret not taking as many pictures when I didn’t have a digital camera and phone.
I’m becoming morfe of a fan of my smart phone. It took some getting used to after years with a simple flip phone. I still haven’t tried videos with it since I am used to the editing capabilities of the late, missed Microsoft video editor that didn’t come along with their nasty Windows 10 “update”.
Aw, Louie. I lost one (Jasper) I hadn’t even had a year. The vet thought he had a bad heart. I still feel bad about him. When they die young or unexpectedly its harder to understand. Louie’s tail reminds me of my Raymond’s tail. I miss Raymond. He was the best friend I’ve ever had. I lost him to cancer at age 13 nine years ago. I thought I’d have him longer, too.
They quickly find a place in our hearts, for sure. Sorry to learn of your loses, too. This blog post’s prompted quite a few comments about lost pets, and we all express similar thoughts. I know how each of you feel.
This a lovely and sad cat story, he was very beautiful. So sorry that he had to leave so soon.
Thank you. That he was. Louie was a comedian and a good companion. He was a “guy cat” (he was large and appealed to me as a man who’d never had a cat before except the brief expose to Freckles), a cat more like a dog in personality, with a cat body. I doubt I will ever forget Louie or what he was like!
So sorry they left you after a short – but happy life with you – amitiés 🙂
Yes, it was all too short. Thank you!
Always soo sad when they leave us – and particularly when they leave us prematurely.
Very true. It was a shock when Louie died because I did expect to have him for a long time. In the short time I had him, though, I had a loving, sweet kitty that enjoyed being held like a baby and kept me entertained with his quirky personality!