Koty

It has been almost one month that he’s been gone… and we miss him so much.

Our sweet Koty cat went to heaven on Saturday, October 19, 2013. I’ve been trying to figure out how I was going to come up with the words that would represent how much he meant to us. How do I sum up 18.5 years in a few quick paragraphs? I’ve been putting this off because it was the last part of letting him go and it’s hard.

I have had pets (cats and dogs) my whole life, but never had a bond with one like I did with Koty. He was MY cat from the very start. In June of 1995, I had moved out of my parent’s house for the first time and it was lonely not having a pet around. So, I looked in the local paper to see if there were any kittens for sale. There was one in Jordan, MN for $5 and they had one left. I drove to a little red farmhouse in the country and there he was… the cutest little brown and white tabby cat with the most amazing green eyes. He was my little tiger with a coon tail. I had no idea how close we’d grow over the years and how he would become my best friend and one of the loves of my life.

Koty was a cat of many characters.

Kordy the cord chewer. No cord was safe around Kordy. Even bitter apple spray couldn’t keep Kordy away. He’d lick it off and then keep going. He conquered several video game controllers, lamp cords, fan cords and hair dryer cords… just to name a few. Our house was always Kordy proof, or at least we’d try.

Aquafina cat. He would come running from anywhere in the house if he heard you open a bottle of water and then he’d insist on drinking out of the cap. I can still see his pink tongue flicking water everywhere while he licked water out of the little white caps.

Boss cat. Just ask Oliver, Koty was the boss. He liked to remind his brother every so often who was in charge, even though Ollie had 10+ pounds on him. He was also the boss of us, letting us know when he wanted to eat by going around and meowing and/or turning into Kordy.

Observer cat (on guard duty). I never noticed it until Aaron pointed it out to me one day, but Koty was always watching me. If we were in the same room, his handsome green eyes were trained on me. If I wasn’t in the room, he was looking in my direction or waiting for me to come back. In some ways, it always brought me comfort, like he was watching out for me. He was like the Observer character from the show Fringe… from another time, but always there. I am positive that wherever he is right now, he is still watching me.

Sugar cat. In July of 2002, Koty was diagnosed with diabetes. For the next 8 years, he would require insulin shots with his meals every 12 hours. He couldn’t have been more brave or tough. He took his shots like a champ and never had any accidents. We were very lucky with him, as he was almost always easy to keep regulated. There was one rule… no shots in the dot. He had this dot on his right shoulder that I called his kissing dot. Kisses only, no shots.

Pizza thief. He was sneaky and stealth-like. He took countless pieces of pizza off of my plate and even got away with one whole pizza roll once. It was burning hot and he probably burned his mouth, but he didn’t seem to care. He also liked other things that cats normally didn’t: cantaloupe, strawberries and citrus fruits.

Nose biter. For some reason, he loved to bite the tip of my nose. I don’t know if he thought it was too pointy or what, but I knew to watch out when he’d make his squinty face. He’d lean in with his eyes all squinty and try to get it every time.

Koty 2.0. On September 29, 2010, Koty 2.0 was born. He suffered a diabetic collapse and was in a coma when we found him. Thanks to his doctors and two nights at the University of Minnesota, he pulled through and came home a different version of himself. He never needed insulin again and his diabetes was officially in remission. 2.0 was quiet, couldn’t jump or do stairs as well and a bit shaky at times. He was gentle and required a bit more attention than before. The three years that followed were bonus years and we cherished every minute we had been given with him.

He loved yellow day lilies and just seemed to be attracted to them outside. He’d try to eat them and would lay in them when we let him. He hated wind and didn’t like fans blowing on him. He played fetch with paper balls and loved to play with my fabric belt. He loved blankets and pillows, especially his coon pillow.

I miss how he would nuzzle his head in my hand, paw at the placemat under his water bowl before every drink, his silent meows and meows that sounded like “eh”. I always said that he understood English, but couldn’t speak it. He did however, master the art of body language. Koty 2.0 was quiet and couldn’t talk anymore, but he let us know what he wanted with his body language. When he looked up at the couch and leaned towards it, it meant that he wanted up on there. He did that to get up on our bed and up on my lap.

I miss him most at meal times because we used to have to sit with him while he ate. No matter how my day went, I looked forward to that time together and those 30-45 minute meals always made me feel close to him. I never minded taking care of him and it wasn’t a chore. It was my responsibility and my honor to do it.

He was handsome, proud, modest and dignified. He had tiger stripes, a coon tail and tri-colored paws. He was beyond sweet and smart. He was MINE and I was his for 18.5 years.

Koty cat, Koty cat, I love you, yes I do!

Thank you for being my cat and for your unconditional love.

I’ll never forget you and you’ll never be replaced.

Rest in peace my sweet boy, you deserve it.

In loving memory of Koko, K, Bean and Puff. You will always be in our hearts.

Love, Momma, Daddy and Oliver

April 1, 1995 – October 19, 2013