Scruffy came into our lives in June 2006 and left us at 10:55 this morning. He went peacefully with David and I both with him. He was loved to the very last minute of his life as he was every day he was with us. I need to mention here that today is our grandson Jacob;s first birthday and also the anniversary of my fathers death.
He was a starving feral cat when he first appeared in our front yard. David would sit out on the front porch with a bowl of food and water and work on getting Scruffy to trust him enough to join him on the porch for food. David would leave and Scruffy would then come and eat and drink.
It wasn't long before Scruffy would come close to David while he sat on the porch with the food and water bowls.
One day he showed up with a badly hurt front paw so David did his best to get him in a travel carrier so we could take him to the Vet. The little rascal escaped before we got him in the van! The cage didn't get locked correctly and he was out of there.
David and I lured him once more with food and between the two of us we were able to get this terribly frightened and fighting cat into the cage and to Charlotte for treatment. Once he was healed came tests and then shots when we learned he was healthy. During this time we kept him closed in the downstairs guest room away from our other three cats. David spent hours a day sitting in the room reading, getting Scruffy to trust and know that he was safe with us.
Our cats were used to his scent and they his by the time he could come out and join the family. All four of them quickly set their boundaries and they were all buddies. Scruffy loved his Mama but he had a very special bond with his Daddy that was never broken.
Scruffy was the most curious of our cats. He explored
everything. He was right there with his Daddy whatever he was doing; plumbing,
putting something in a low cabinet....whatever Scruffy was right there to
help and see what was
going on. He followed David around like a little puppy.
Scruffy was a very happy and content cat. He was also grateful. It was obvious in how he settled in and never gave one of the other cats any grief. Or us. He was a peace weaver in a sense. He was just happy to be a part of the family and he liked for everyone to get along. He was protective of all the cats and
if one cat
gave another a bad time, he was there to make peace between them.
Scruffy was also very protective of us. When the doorbell rang, he would sit up and growl like a dog! It was so funny however he was very serious. H would
scrunch his face and he would stare at the staircase.
He loved being in the recliner with David. They were together almost every minute that we were home.
The other cats will miss him. They are already looking for him but they are intuitive. They knew how ill Scruffy was.
Scruffy brought us much laughter, love and joy. His gentle spirit and curious nature will be greatly missed.
He was a starving feral cat when he first appeared in our front yard. David would sit out on the front porch with a bowl of food and water and work on getting Scruffy to trust him enough to join him on the porch for food. David would leave and Scruffy would then come and eat and drink.
It wasn't long before Scruffy would come close to David while he sat on the porch with the food and water bowls.
One day he showed up with a badly hurt front paw so David did his best to get him in a travel carrier so we could take him to the Vet. The little rascal escaped before we got him in the van! The cage didn't get locked correctly and he was out of there.
David and I lured him once more with food and between the two of us we were able to get this terribly frightened and fighting cat into the cage and to Charlotte for treatment. Once he was healed came tests and then shots when we learned he was healthy. During this time we kept him closed in the downstairs guest room away from our other three cats. David spent hours a day sitting in the room reading, getting Scruffy to trust and know that he was safe with us.
Our cats were used to his scent and they his by the time he could come out and join the family. All four of them quickly set their boundaries and they were all buddies. Scruffy loved his Mama but he had a very special bond with his Daddy that was never broken.
Scruffy was the most curious of our cats. He explored everything. He was right there with his Daddy whatever he was doing; plumbing, putting something in a low cabinet....whatever Scruffy was right there to help and see what was going on. He followed David around like a little puppy.
Scruffy was a very happy and content cat. He was also grateful. It was obvious in how he settled in and never gave one of the other cats any grief. Or us. He was a peace weaver in a sense. He was just happy to be a part of the family and he liked for everyone to get along. He was protective of all the cats and if one cat gave another a bad time, he was there to make peace between them.
Scruffy was also very protective of us. When the doorbell rang, he would sit up and growl like a dog! It was so funny however he was very serious. H would scrunch his face and he would stare at the staircase.
He loved being in the recliner with David. They were together almost every minute that we were home.
The other cats will miss him. They are already looking for him but they are intuitive. They knew how ill Scruffy was.
Scruffy brought us much laughter, love and joy. His gentle spirit and curious nature will be greatly missed. 
5 comments:
Oh dear.
I'm so sorry.
You know, I never SAW Scruffy until the last few times I took care of the cats for you. He was always hiding. So I didn't know him when he was smaller...
I think you did the right thing.
He was so distressed just trying to deal with water and the elimination of it...
Poor thing.
But you are right, he certainly had a good life with you.
Loving memories beautifully expressed for Scruffy. Love, Vaden
Diane & David, A loving tribute to Scruffy! Hugs! I know it was a tough decision.
So sorry. Making that decision for a beloved pet is never easy. He was in so much distress. I agree you did the right thing. You have many happy memories to last a lifetime.
Bless all of your hearts. You loved him and did all you could. He had a wonderful life with you guys.
Hugs and Love,
Deb and Erin
Post a Comment