Poots came to us in February 2002, the day after we first moved in together. We were out grocery shopping, and I just decided it was time, adding cat food, a litter box and litter the grocery cart. We immediately drove to the Barrie animal shelter, in search of a short-haired female kitten. Ahem.
We left instead with a fluffy five-year old male with half a tail. Jane made the mistake of picking him up, and he just melted in her arms and melted our hearts. His shelter name was Dominic....but THAT didn't last very long!
He had the place to himself for six months, before the arrival of Bickey and then Miss. In 2007, all three made the big move, and in the years that followed he suffered the arrival of another dozen cats (literally) at our rural homestead.....almost half of which he outlived even though they were all much younger. In fairness, he lived to almost 23 years old.....so even the "younger" cats had good lives!
Poots went by many other names as well, most notably the Old Grey Bastard or OGB.....but also Pootamassa, Mister Massa, Ticky, Drup Drup, Two Drups and Chicken Butt. For many years, he ruled the roost, laying surgical smackdowns on cowering companions, before passing the torch to Gronk when he got too old for enforcement. You know it's time to retire when the younger cats don't even realize you're hitting them!
For many years, his favourite pastime in cooler weather was to follow me around when I got home, so that he could curl up under my knees the moment I sat down and grabbed a blanket......and then get annoyed if (when!) I had to get up!
In his final years, he became a fixture on his cat bed in the kitchen, cleverly positioned in front of the heat vent and near all the food - the wisdom of age. He also leaned on his friends for support while drinking, quite literally using a patient Pennywise to help him balance at the bowl. He was getting too old to use his lifelong drinking technique of dipping his paw delicately into the water and then licking the water off. Pure class.
As fate would have it, his last meal was his very favourite - soft food salmon, at room temperature from a freshly opened can.
Thank you, Best Cat Ever, for nearly 18 wonderful years.
Poots
Enjoying a sunbeam with Miss
....back when he had some meat on his bones....
Always on the lookout for treats!
The Distinguished Gentleman drinks some water
Dip....
....and lick!
Screw it, this will be faster!
A halo for a feline angel
Old Grey Bastard
Nap time!
He never lost that flexibility!
Enjoying some supervised outdoor time
Chillin' on a chairback
Sleep well, dear friend
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