RIP Monster

In 2008, I lived in Spring Hill, TN with 2 roommates and a lot of cats. I had 3 (Romeo, Sable, and Keera) and my roommate had at least 1 perhaps 2. Yes, I’ve always been the crazy cat lady but I prefer the word eccentric over crazy.

Outside Cat

There was a black cat that frequently visited our back patio to stare at (taunt?) our cats and I started to feed him when he came by. We named him O.C. which stood for Outside Cat.

O.C. came by multiple times a week for months and before we knew it, it was November. The weather started to turn and become colder and colder. My soft heart couldn’t take it seeing O.C. outside all the time so I decided to take him in. I scheduled an appointment with my vet, brought him inside, and kept him in the half bath overnight. He utterly destroyed the blinds in that room.

The vet gave him a clean bill of health and so began the introductions of F.O.C. (Formerly Outside Cat) to the other cats of the household. My roommates and I had been binging Lost and decided that F.O.C. was too cumbersome. We decided to rename him Sawyer after the adorable troublemaker in the show. The name didn’t stick tho because while adorable, he was an absolute monster. So much so that Monster was all we ever called him. Eventually, it stuck.

I found his original name tag last year and tortured him with it long enough for a few photos. He totally could have rocked the name Sawyer.

Walkabouts

It wasn’t until Chris and I moved to an entirely different city (Mt Juliet) and I became a member of NextDoor that I learned some people let their cats roam the neighborhood. It was at this point I realized I had probably stolen Monster from some poor, unsuspecting neighbor. I’m sorry for their loss but I have no regrets. He brought me a lot of joy.

I don’t know why but while we lived in Mt Juliet, we started to let him out when he asked. Probably because he was demanding to the point of frustration and probably because I’d figured out that he was used to walkabouts. It’s not something I’d ever do these days but it is what it is.

During this period, we learned a lot about Monster. Namely that he was a dumpster diver with a taste for fast food. He’d frequently bring home wrappers from fast food restaurants. I’ve no idea where he found them as we didn’t live close to any of them. Perhaps he got them out of neighbors’ trashcans or found them blowing in the wind? Either way, he’d bring them home and lick the heck out of them in the courtyard.

Once, he brought home a baby bunny. It was late at night and quite dark out. We kept hearing this weird squeaking, a bit like a dog’s squeaky toy but slightly off. I was not okay dealing with poor traumatized bunnies and so his walkabouts ended.

Gamer Cat

You may not know this but Chris and I play a few board games. In fact, for a short period, we even filmed how to play videos for our YouTube channel, Cat House Gaming. Monster was our mascot.

Meet Monster the Dungeon Lord! The game he’s about to walk all over is called Dungeon Lords.

Monster, like all cats, is a box fanatic. Plus he was always interested in being where I was. He was a great help in all my gaming wins as well as filming for the how to play videos.

He was even super helpful when I started playing games on the Switch! Who needs freedom of movement anyway?!

Cuddle Buddy

We lost a few cats to age and illness and I foster failed with Pippa. She became Monster’s BFF. I’m not sure he cared per se but she loved him. She was always eager to cuddle up next to him. She’d find him sleeping in a bed and snuggle in next to him. He’d tolerate it for a bit but eventually would vacate the bed as she demanded more and more space.

I talked Chris into getting Marco in part because I was worried about Monster slowing down and no longer being there for Pippa. It didn’t work out. Marco and Pippa don’t get along at all but Marco and Monster were also good cuddle buddies.

Spoiled

Several years ago, Monster was diagnosed with a form of intestinal cancer. Cancer isn’t something that’s curable in cats, just managed, so said our oncologist at the time. Monster got 6 months of chemotherapy followed by a lifetime of steroid pills to manage the growth of the tumors.

Chemo wrecks your appetite and it affected Monster no differently. He pretty much stopped eating during this period and lost a ton of weight. We were desperate and would offer him anything under the sun if we thought he’d eat it. He had always had a preference for cheap cat food (e.g. Meow Mix) or human junk food and this period made these preferences so much worse.

Mary and Josh were cat-sitting for us once post-chemo and had brought their dinner over. While getting drinks from the kitchen, Monster, bold as brass, got up on the table and swiped one of Josh’s chicken tenders from his plate. Mary has provided the following correction to my version of the tale: Let the record show that he was actively eating that sandwich! Monster stole it right off the sandwich in Josh’s hands.

This desire for people food continued until his last days. He had stopped eating but was still begging for our food when we ate near him. Yes, of course, I offered him what I had but it didn’t help. The cancer had come back nearly completely blocking his intestines and his kidneys were failing.

Lap Cat

Monster was always trouble but he was also a lover. He was a huge lap cat and always sought out cuddles. He always slept with me, often sharing my pillow or just curled up next to me. In the past five or so years, he started to sleep on my chest. I’d head to bed and before the lights were off, he’d be lying down on my chest stretched out with his paws near my face.

Linda, Chris’ grandma, came to visit us once during this time and slept in our bed. She woke up in the middle of the night suspecting a heart attack because she had this weird pressure on her chest. Monster needed a cuddle buddy and she was in the right place at the right time.

So Long Buddy

My old man had a good long run. I’d had him for 15.5 years and the vet estimated he was about 5 when I got him.

“Death comes for us all; even at our birth– even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little.” I’m glad I got to be with Monster while Death stood aside. He was the best cat and will be missed dearly.