I just returned from the vet.

My cat of almost 16 years, Iggy, is now at peace.

I had Iggy since I was an undergraduate. I’ve had her longer than I’ve known my wife. She was with me through many of the most significant parts and changes in my life. She meant the world to me.

First Days

My senior year of undergrad, my then roommate and I went in search of a pet. We wanted to get one from the animal shelter but there were numerous problems with that avenue. Undeterred, we visited the local pet stores and one store had just gotten in a load of kittens. Apparently mother cat was a purebred Siamese and she met some alley cat. I guess the owners weren’t happy with this lack of pedigree so as soon as the kittens were weened they were turned over to the pet store. The store had literally just gotten them, as they were still in the back being bathed. The store clerks let us go in the back to see them. They had just finished bathing and had placed the kittens in a dryer. The dryer was like a very large cage, but with a mesh floor, solid walls, and the front was Plexiglas so you could see them. At one end was an opening through which warm air was blown. The air current wasn’t too strong, but it was strong enough to dry them. I recall Matt and I watching them in the drier. All the kittens were mewing heavily, hating the warm wind, trying to find a way out of the blustery misery. That is, all but one kitten. One kitten just sat there, the runt of the litter, wind blowing upon her, a complete “fuck you” attitude on her face… standing strong and not letting anything bother her. Matt and I knew this was the one, so we brought her home.

We spent some time trying to come up with a name for her. Eventually Matt blurted out “How about Iggy?” and it stuck. In fact (and Matt, correct me if I’m wrong), but I think this was the first time you started using the “Matt Daddy” phrase to refer to yourself. But I should back up a bit. For you see, at first we thought Iggy was male. But one day, I was lying on the couch watching TV, Iggy was loafing on my chest, and I was able to notice that no… Iggy was in fact female. Yes Matt, you recall this. 🙂

Iggy actually enjoyed being on the couch. The couch was in front of the apartment windows, which looked out onto a large grassy area. Other residents would play fetch with their dogs in that area, and I can only guess that’s how Iggy learned to play fetch. It was always her favorite game. She loved the little caged jingle balls, or balls of aluminum foil, or twist ties… fling them, she’ll bring them back. Over and over. Fetch.

This is also when Iggy made it clear her favorite place to be was on your chest. You’d lay down on your back, she would come and plop down on your chest. If your chest wasn’t available, she’d find a way to maneuver just right so all her weight was resting on your bladder. Always a comfort. 🙂  One thing she would do from time to time when sleeping was to sleep directly face down. I always found that an odd way to sleep, but it was always intentional and always cute to see.

Moving to Texas

After undergrad it was time to move to Texas to attend grad school. So, Iggy had to go with me. I packed Iggy up in her carry cage, and she rode with me. First we were moving my Dad from Virginia to Nebraska, so Iggy rode in the car with me for about 1200 miles. Then after dropping my Dad off I took over the U-Haul and Iggy got to bounce along with me for another 800 miles to Texas. Poor cat, 2000 miles locked in a carry cage, only brief exits for food, water, litter box… strange hotel rooms at night (usually having to sneak her in and out). But she made it with me.

I will never forget the front window of my apartment. I had placed a cat scratcher/platform in front of the window. Iggy loved to watch out the window for whatever (I pretend it was watching for me to come home), and it was evident she did for the window was covered in nose-prints. 🙂  

And if not for Iggy, I never would have met my wife. 

During a summer I was going on a road trip to visit my Dad so I needed someone to care for Iggy. A buddy of mine offered to do so. A few months later, that buddy was telling me about this girl he met and was going to invite over to his place for dinner. I told him to have fun, having recently sworn myself off dating. The next day he tells me that he has someone he has to introduce me to. For you see, during dinner he realized that the girl liked cats, so he started to talk to her about his friend’s cat that he cared for over the summer. The girl said “Hey, is is that tall, skinny, long-haired guy?” and began to talk about me. This tells you what a stand-up guy my friend was, to not be bothered and instead insist on introducing me to her! And if not for Iggy… none of this would have happened.

At the time, Wife (well then, not wife… Girlfriend) had her own cat (the currently ill but doing better Orange cat). We introduced the two to each other and it was instant hilarity. Orange cat was excited by this pretty girl cat and instantly went on the move to try to impress her. Oh how he would run around, trying to dance and play, showing off, trying to win Iggy’s affection… but she didn’t care one lick for him. Eventually she warmed up to him tho, and the two have been some sort of mate for each other ever since. As of this writing, Orange cat doesn’t seem to be aware that Iggy is gone. We’re not sure when/if/how he’ll notice and how he’ll react. We’ll see.

Life with kids

Iggy did have a bit of a Siamese cat attitude. She was always a pretty cat with beautiful green eyes, and anyone that saw here was very drawn to her. People would try to pet her, and Iggy might tolerate it for a moment but generally would get irritated and tell you to “fuck off”. I knew how Iggy worked tho, and anyone willing to learn always had a great experience with her. The key was to first let Iggy sniff you. She was a sniffing cat, always had to sniff everything. Once she sniffed and determined what you were, if she was wanting to be petted she’d move her head so you could pet her; if not, she’d look away. She was very good at telling you what she wanted and didn’t want, so long as you were willing to listen.

While Wife and Iggy always had an understanding, Wife grew more fond of Iggy during pregnancy. While Wife was pregnant with our children, Iggy would always stand by her. Wife nicknamed her “Nurse Iggy” because when Wife wasn’t feeling good, was dealing with morning sickness, or whatever, Iggy was always there to tend to her. Of course she couldn’t do anything useful (need thumbs!), but it was still an interesting behavior.

One of the more interesting things was who Iggy chose to bond with. There’s no question that I was #1 in Iggy’s book. But #2 ended up being Oldest. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know in part it was Oldest being willing to listen to me in terms of how to interact with and read Iggy. Oldest knew, and so Iggy liked him. There were many times Iggy would seek him out, sometimes choosing him over me. Oldest always considered that an honor. When Iggy starting having the problems with her leg, Oldest always went with me to the vet. He was always kept in on the loop, never left out, never bullshitted, never nothing except informed and involved. Oldest did his best to care for her, even if all it was was sitting with her for hours on end, just petting her. He went with me today for her final visit. He was brave… even sometimes being the one to comfort me.

In the end

As I’ve mentioned here, Iggy’s had a tumor growing on her left hock. We knew it was only a matter of time, and today marked that day. As I said, Oldest went with me. At first I didn’t know if I could do this. I’ve never had to make this decision before. When I read about a Pet’s 10 Commandments, I knew I’d be there.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

And so I was. It hurt me, but it didn’t hurt her. She is at peace.

 

While I’ve had many pets in my life, none were as close and as loved as Iggy. She went through so much with me. She was always there, always happy to see me, always happy just to be with me. Always there to clean my ice cream bowl. Always sitting on my chest and blocking my view (or just forcing me to look at her, whichever way you want to view it). Always wanting to sniff me and/or whatever I had. Always loyal. Always Iggy. Over the coming days, I know that will be the hardest part for me… that for 16 years she was always, and now she’s not. I have to remind myself not to focus on the not, just remember the always and always remember.