From the archives: I'll miss you, Tigger

And finally, my most recent pet to pass away, my poor Tigger. Again, sorry to have three posts in a row that are sad, I just want to get these out of the way. Hopefully I don't have to deal with this again for several more years.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I’ll miss you, Tigger
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals

I feel bad for not posting this earlier. Tigger deserved better. My beautiful orange cat, Tigger, died March 1, 2008. Tigger was the cat I received after my cat Bouncer died. My brother Zachary found Tigger at a veterinary hospital in Tulare. It’s mother had either abandoned Tigger and his siblings or had died. Zachary thought I’d like another cat after Bouncer. I’m so greatful for Zach finding Tigger.
Now Bouncer was truly a special cat. He wasn’t very loud and was very affectionate. Tigger..... well, let’s just say my neighbor down the street, one time when I was visiting her, said, ’Oh, there’s your cat’ when we could hear Tigger meowing. Tigger was very loud, which sometimes caused frustration, especially when neighbors complained of my animals making noise. And rather than being affectionate, he would often attack my hand or whatever else he wanted. It was always playful, although there were a couple of times if he wanted to eat, he’d jump up and bop me. I also learned soon after getting him that I must be allergic to cats. I had itchy eyes when I had Bouncer, but determined that must have been to some allergies. They went away after Bouncer died, but I never associated them together until I got Tigger and they came back.
Although I had my frustrations with Tigger, I did love him. He would meow loud, and I’d give him fresh water, food, and litter, and he’d still meow. If I brought him inside, he’d meow. If I let him outside, he’d meow. Still, he was a good cat, and had become a lot more affectionate lately. In retrospect, I should have realized something was up when he didn’t want to come inside as often as he used to. He’d take naps sometimes, as far back as six months ago, where I worried something happened to him - almost like a deep sleep.
I went out to watch a movie with my friend Amy, and right before I checked on him. He was laying out on the patio. I didn’t think anything too much of it, but in the back of my mind I thought something might have been up. He didn’t beg to come inside. I wish I had at least went out to pet his little head and say hello, but I was running late. I got home later that night from the movie and a couple of hours later was about to go visit some friends in Sonoma when I realized I still hadn’t heard from Tigger. I went to check on him, saw his tail sticking out of his domed litter box, and when I opened the door and nudged the litter box with my foot and didn’t see him jump out, I knew the worse had happened.
I learned a lot about patience with Tigger. Probably not enough. I could have taken better care of him, making sure he had fresh water. I let his water bowl get kind of bad outside, but he was mostly inside during the day, so I figured he got all of his water from the inside bowl he shared with my dogs. And I could have been better with his litter. A litter dome is great for hiding the litter, a little too good. I cleaned it the week before he died and it was pretty bad. I should have done it sooner. I’ve been told that most likely that had absolutely nothing to do with his death, but I still feel sad that he had to live like that. Still, I think I provided him a good home, and I loved to pet him (when he didn’t try knawing on my hand, lol).
I’ll miss you, Tigger! Vaya con Dios!
TTFN