Desi Tremain-Misencik

04/08/2022-02/14/2025

 

In the Fall of 2022, we were visiting our local pet feed store to stock up on our parrots pellets.  We noticed two kittens from a local rescue organization while perusing the store.

 

Something about them imprinted on us during our The grey and white kitten watched us longingly out the window as we left the store…When I saw this, I knew we had to return, and soon!  I called the store and Jeff and I scheduled a visit.  We were like kids in a candy store as we socialized with the kittens. We already knew we couldn’t leave one behind, as they appeared bonded— besides, we loved them both!  We adopted both kittens and named them Desi and Lucy, after coaching one of my high school Speech students on an I Love Lucy drama piece. Our Desi and Lucy were much like the incredible comedy team of Desi and Lucy—they loved each other deeply, yet they also had moments where they couldn’t bear to be in the same room with each other.  They loved their neighbors, (they loved both we and our other furry/feathered family members immensely); and the daily antics they created have been a comedic mainstay daily in our home.

 

One of the sweetest routines that Desi created was tucking me in.  He would bury himself next to me, under a blanket, with his head on a pillow—every….single…night. Desi has been a loyal fixture at my bedside, since a number of  medical procedures I had.  Jeff affectionately called Desi my boyfriend.  However, to be fair, he was Jeff’s little boyfriend too—-he sprinted to greet him every single day after work…standing up and affectionately hugging Jeff and rubbing his little wet nose against Jeff’s face.  Whenever we left our house, it seems he waited at the front window until we returned, because he sprinted to us, full of kisses and hugs upon our return. He quickly earned the nickname of ‘Desi the lovebug’.

 

He also faithfully woke up at 6am every weekday to start my workday as my personal

I.T. kitty and pen supplier/thief—-depending on the day—many times a pen became the toy of the moment to play fetch with!  Desi loved fetching toys! He would do this for hours if given the opportunity to; and most recently, he was learning how to open doors!!

 

After work on Valentine’s Day, we decided to take a short nap. Our other felines (TJ and Lucy) settled in for an afternoon slumber as well.  Desi didn’t curl up next to me as he usually does, so I called him.  I saw his little raccoon striped tail bobbing past the bed, so I figured he just had other plans.  It wasn’t bedtime yet, after all. When we woke a couple hours later, we didn’t see Desi, so we called him.  Our hearts sunk when we found our little Desi, unresponsive.  My daughter, Hannah immediately administered CPR and detected a faint heartbeat.  We called the emergency veterinary hospital and informed them we were enroute.  The staff greeted us at the door.  They could not detect a heartbeat….Desi passed away, most likely, just before our arrival at the Emergency veterinary hospital.  Sadly, we have no answers at this time.  He had just seen our veterinarian for a check up a week prior and all was fine.  I spoke with his vet after his death to review his chart and found nothing…The day we lost him, he was an otherwise healthy 2 year old.  He was in good spirits and was active.  We can only speculate at this time that cardiac myopathy may have cruelly taken him from us.

 

The kitty with one of the most ginormous hearts I have ever known, passed away on Valentine’s Day. Desi’s story ended on the evening of February 14 at age 2 1/2, and our hearts are so heavy…. He was such an unforgettable treasure to us.  Lucy is now faithfully stepping up for Desi with extra snuggles and assisting me with my work. In addition to Desi’s girl, Lucy, he is survived by His friend TJ the kitty, Libirdy, our African grey parrot, Coco, our blue and gold macaw, and Desi’s fair weather friend, Athena, a rescue pittie and Theo, my daughter’s sweet rodent. Desi is also survived by our human family. Desi’s lost has left a profound void in our home. He and the rest of our critters are our entire world.

 

None of us are promised a tomorrow, so we must commit to making the most out of every single day we are blessed to be here. In that spirit, in memory of our sweet little Desi, please give your critters a little extra love tonight, and every night—and let them sleep on your bed—even if they take it over.🩷Desi the lovebug, we love you and will never, ever forget you.🩷