Oliver

Oh, Ollie, we miss you so very much. Our house is so empty and quiet without you.

Back in May, 2000, we wanted to get a kitten because our cat Koty was lonely. So, we went to the Humane Society in St. Paul. They had lots of kittens and one cage caught our eye because there were several calico kittens. I’ve always wanted a calico, but then we noticed this spunky, tiny little orange and white kitten climbing the cage door. We knew right away that he had to be ours… that was Oliver. It was like he was asking us to get him out of there, away from his sisters. He was so small and only weighed ¾ of a pound. He fit in the palm of our hands and liked to sit on our shoulders, like a bird. That’s where he got his nickname of Ollie-Bird or Bird. He went from tiny little kitten to weighing in at around 20 lbs. for most of his life. He was our gentle lion.

It was clear from the very beginning that he always wanted to be where we were. One of our first memories of him as a kitten was him getting stuck halfway under a door. We put him in a spare bedroom for the first few days, until we could get him checked out by a vet. He didn’t like that much and tried getting out by going UNDER the door, his head in one room and his tail in the other. He was a very determined cat and would always figure out a way to get where or what he wanted. He always wanted to know where we were in the house and would cry out until we answered him back. Then, he’d walk to where we were, meowing the whole way… like he was making sure we knew where he was at all times. I still listen for him sometimes and miss the sound of his “velociraptor” claws tip-tapping on the kitchen floor.

Oliver always turned into a kitten anytime a paper bag, paper ball or his catnip moth, mice and fish were around. We loved watching him drag around his blue string and how he’d smack the handle of his feather wand on the door frame. And, how the lights on the Christmas tree turned you into crazy fur. Thank you, Oliver, for always making us laugh and smile.

Oliver was a daddy’s boy. He was always by dad’s side while he played video games, either on his fur blanket, on his Swedish chair or curled up between dad’s legs on the recliner. Oliver started to purr every time his dad walked into the room and often times would wait for him to get home before coming to bed.

Oliver was a sensitive cat and would come running if he ever heard one of us cry out in pain. He was so expressive, especially with his ears. It was hilarious to watch American Idol with him because if he didn’t like somebody’s singing, he would hoot his ears back and open his eyes really wide. We called him the 4th judge. It made us laugh every time. He was vocal and had the cutest chirpy meows. We are so thankful that we have some of those on video, so we’ll never forget that sound.

Always the cautious jumper, he’d stand up and do a reach test to see how high he was about to jump before every attempt. We called him TKO (tall kitty Oliver). He also liked to walk between our recliners by crossing over the end table, instead of jumping down and back up. This earned him another nickname, bridge-walker. He was also quite the seat stealer, I guess he liked for us to warm up a spot before he’d want it.

We miss not having you greet us at the door when we get home and how you’d side-swipe our legs while we were getting your food ready or cooking dinner. I miss you every night when I go to bed, because you’re not there hogging my pillow or purring me to sleep. Daddy misses his face scrubs, purr-licking and how you’d speed lick when you knew he wasn’t going to let you keep going. We miss seeing you speed waddle and hearing your crackle paw.

We will think of you every time we light the fireplace, we cuddle in your fur blanket, we see one of your bird spies watching us on vacation, when we see long grass that you would’ve liked to eat, when we see ducks waddling, when I hear the sound of a can opener, when we see your pirate magnets, and when your “girlfriend” Trouble comes to visit at our front door.

The end came so fast, and it just doesn’t seem fair. We pray that we were able to do everything we could for you while you were still here. We weren’t done spoiling you yet, but we knew that we had to swallow our pride and let you go. If love could’ve saved you, you would have lived forever.

Losing both of our boys in less than 7 months has been heartbreaking, but we take some comfort in knowing that you are with your big brother again. We like to think that Koty and Oliver are napping side-by-side on a down blanket in a sunny spot somewhere.

Thank you for being our sweet cat and for the 14 years of unconditional love. You were far more than a pet. You were a family member (closest thing we’ll ever have to a son), a loyal friend and a loving soul that we’ll never forget.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I loved you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Oliver, O, Ollie, Bubba, Fur, O’Malley, Monkey, Fire Bug, Rug Scratcher, Snake Tail, Orange Flag, Lollie-Pop, and Alarm Cat… we love you, always & forever!!

March 28, 2000 – May 17, 2014