Oh Pennywise. This is the hardest one yet.
He arrived in the spring of 2013, lurking on the edge of the property and terrorizing our outdoor cats, and us. We would just catch glimpses of this freaky looking white cat staring at us from afar. It got so that we would take a baseball bat with us just to go out to the garage, just for safety.
He was huge, and often bloody, and little did we know that his weird "look" was partly attributable to the fact that his jaw was broken and offset. We had no idea how old he was, but they guessed about five....though it had been a rough start to his life.
We named him Pennywise, after the scary clown from IT.
Eventually we live trapped him, just to get him fixed and away from the property. He managed to break out of the first live trap, violently. When the clinic called and asked when we would be picking up "Casanova", we thought they had the wrong cat. Apparently, he was the sweetest "loverboy" they had seen, in complete opposition to everything we thought we knew about him.
We brought him home, and arranged through a friend to obtain and assemble an outdoor dog kennel for him to live in, while we figured out what to do with him. That worked out well, until we went to Vegas in March 2014 and his house got drifted in with snow - thankfully Cindy came to his rescue and brought him home until we returned.
After that, he came in the house....and never left. He quickly made friends with all the cats, even the outdoor cats that had previously come to fear him. He would grunt softly and flop on his back until they warmed up to him. Ultimately, he was the one cat that EVERYONE got along with. Of all of our cats, he seemed to truly appreciate what he had, and the second chance he had been given on life.
Besides the wonky jaw and hanging tongue, he also became known for his signature walk - the way he "bungled" around the house. His "meow" was a hoarse squawk, likely a by-product of his smashed jaw and general oral trauma. He also had a lot of allergies, just like his mom. He was also known for his trademark "tongue stretches".
Along the way he became Jane's soul-mate - a very empathetic creature who always knew just when she needed attention. His grunts, nose-kisses and shoulder cuddles were a constant source of comfort through emotional turmoil, illness, and two knee replacements.
We almost lost him in the summer of 2019, but he fought through the illness and surgery and rebounded like a Champ. Later that year, he was even the subject of an article in a British periodical!
https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/25/pennywise-cat-scars-wonky-jaw-tongue-11959303/
We were fortunate to get another 4.5 years with him.
Recently, he started to lose weight and become more lethargic, with more breathing issues, but was still generally having good days and enjoying life. Ultimately we made the soul-wrenching decision to help him pass a week before Christmas, before he started to suffer, lest we hang onto him for us and not for him. The kind staff at Leamington Animal Hospital had also become quite attached to him, in particular Dr. Kate and Dr. Courtney.
During his final days, Jane and Pennywise made some ink impressions of his paws, which she later took to a local tattoo artist so that he could be with her forever. We are also awaiting the return of his ashes, which will stay with us to the end.
December 16, 2023 - Rest in Peace, sweet Pennywise - aka Bungie, Bungie Cord, Zee Bunge, Bunges of Oats, Wizzler, The Whiz, Banjeet, Banjie-Man, The Bannifer, The Bungle-orian, Play Monster, Fringy, the Skootchee Bastard, and The Polar Bear.
Goodbye, dear friend.
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2 comments:
Such a journey it’s been with Pennywise ❤️ truly one of the most special I’ve been fortunate to know❤️❤️Mike and Jane xo
See you on the other side dear sweet boy 🌈
Beautiful tribute to a special little soul.
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