Obituary for Buu

I have a long standing relationship with both dogs and cats, although I prefer dogs.  Ever since I was a little boy our family always had pets, usually one cat, that would go outside to do his business, and one dog which we mainly kept outside and slept on or under the porch.  Of course if I admitted to keeping my dog outside in these elements these days, Im sure I’d be reported to some animal rights group!  Don’t get me started; Im a firm believer that they have a coat of fur for a reason.

But I digress!

When I first met Buu, short for Majin Buu; from the Dragon Ball series, we didn’t like each other.  He was quite cantankerous to say the least and clearly thought it was his house!  He was the king of his realm including the other felines that were part of his kingdom.  Needless to say, I kept to myself while he kept to his.  But after a while the two of us slowly tolerated each other.  I started swiping my hand along his belly while he slept on the living room floor, just one pass at a time.  Eventually he would climb onto the couch and sleep near me, usually the other end.  Often times, as he laid there snoring I would gently pat his backside only to be ignored.  Though there were times when I would “test the waters” to see if he was warming up to me; clearly I was warming up to him but to be met with a vicious hiss!  He was such a fat cat, how could I not!  I would often catch myself chuckling at his attempts to jump onto the furniture, he would actually have to “prime” himself, judging just how much effort he needed to succeed to his next napping spot, I’m sure, telling himself, “I can do this, I can do this.”

It wasn’t until about a year later from the time I moved into my girlfriends’ house at the beginning of summer and the weather became warmer that we utilized the patio.  She and I would often sit out and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine.  Buu would make every attempt to join us, after all, he was the king of his realm and could go where he pleased.  We denied him these privileges more often than not simply because we didn’t want a flea infestation!  But alas, as every king of their kingdom, they eventually get their way.  Since I am a semi-professional photographer I took these moments to my advantage to snap a few photos.  The boys, my girlfriends’ twin sons, absolutely loved the photos and actually have photos of him hanging on the walls of their rooms.

Unfortunately our time had come to an end.  After several outdoor photoshoots, obesity took its toll on him.  We had taken him to the vet for some flea medication since he had scratched his neck raw.  A couple days later he looked more fat than usual and seemed extremely sensitive to all of our touches; he had become bloated and bruised.  Even though his neck had cleared up and was on medicine, and the doctor gave him clearance, we allowed him to go outside for a little while.  We just made sure he stayed on the patio, away from the weeds along the fencing.  One of my fondest memories, just before his passing, was of him sleeping on my lap as I read on the lounge chair, under the shade.  He was now a good buddy of mine and I was now a good buddy of his.  It still  brings a certain smile to my face as I would go in and call his name; he knew it was time to go in but against his will he would announce his displeasure often accompanied by a hiss!

The king is dead, long live the king!