Dear Speedy. You didn’t spend your entire 15 years with us, you only spent three. They were three fun filled years! When we brought you home, you yowled all the way and no amount of to talking to you was going to change it!! Once out of your transport, you inspected the house, top to bottom. We found you in the bathroom sink and once out you preceded to walk out to the biggest room you could find and flopped on the floor. Speedy your flop on the floor was complete with a total exhale of air as if you were home!!
Now obviously we all had to get to know each other, which the wife and I let you, Speedy, be you. We fit ourselves in your wants and needs. You did not like to be picked up, we did anyway, your response, push off with your front paws and turn your head away. Speedy, you would give us 15 to 20 seconds of pick up time! You liked to investigate all of the closets in the house and would even sneak into an open one while we weren’t looking. We would search for you, no noise or commotion from you, and you would walk out as if nothing happened! I don’t think there was a box you didn’t like! We figured you fit in well with us when we found you in an empty case of beer!
There were two rooms in the house you did not care for, upstairs, just a few appearances and the front living room, smelled of the dogs I suppose. Speedy you figured out our schedule, up at 1am for breakfast. We would see your little black and white face looking up the stairs!! As far as getting home random is the name of our game but typically 3 pm. As we would find out, 2pm you are in one of the chairs looking at the door. At 2:15 on the floor in front of the chair looking at the door. 2:30 pm on the verge of the dining room looking at the door. 2:45 pm half way to the front door! Where ever we would find you, Samantha would walk up to the front door and tap on the window and say ‘kitty”! Where ever you were you would come running!
Speedy we never knew if you had ever been outside, you were curious. As we would do our backyard chores we would see your little face looking out of the storm door. We decided to give you a shot and leave the storm door open. One step at a time over the course of a month you would travel down the stairs to the ground before you made the first cautious steps on the rock ground. As you got more comfortable we would find you in the corn patch laying down. I guess since it was tall you felt safe. Your favorite spot was on the mini deck that the hot tub sits on. Your would lay there if you were relaxing and when you were ready to come in, you would be sitting looking at the back door. Our back yard being fenced in gave you the one acre that the vet said all cats ingrained think they have. Speedy you would patrol your back yard and dog like you would walk the fence line. I knew you were happy being outside while on patrol you would wander in and out of my legs, look up at me and meow!! Like a dog Samantha could call your name if you were outside and you would come running. One time you came running went to leap on the mini deck and missed doing a 360 spinning out of control complete with a crash landing. I witnessed this first hand as was laughing hysterically. As you walked in, you looked up at me with a disgusted look on your face and kept walking!
A cat with seven confirmed kills under your belt while you were with us is pretty impressive. Your first in December 2019. We brought in the Christmas tree, little did we know we brought a mouse in with us. Kind of in true Hollywood style, the mouse in the frame of the bathroom, back lit by the bathroom light against the dark living room. Samantha and I looked at each other and said oh, shit!! Little did we know that stone cold killer kitty cat Speedy was on the case!! The next afternoon we found one dead mouse in the open area of the kitchen! We thanked you for the gift and showered you with praise and love!! Your six other kills were moles from the back yard. It was funny watching you hunt, most of it sitting and waiting. I got to see one of the mole snatches first hand. Think big cat on the hunt springing into action, complete with a mouth full of grass! Samantha had a picture of you dropping off your gift in front of me looking up a me, good kitty cat!!
Speedy you had me trained in a couple of weeks. I knew how you liked your wet food, with a little water. On Sundays, even if Samantha had just fed you, you would meow at me to go to the kitchen to fix your food like you wanted it! Speedy your three absolute addicted to things were, temptations, hook a kitty cat up now please! Tuna out of a can, one minute you were not there and suddenly there you were, staring, give me the tuna!! The third of all things was chocolate moonshine!! The first time you had it you walked up to the coffee table smelled my shot glass, dipped your paw into the moonshine and cleaned off your paw! From there on out you would damn near beg to have chocolate moonshine. I have pictures of you leaning over Samantha’s shoulder wanting moonshine!!
You were a cat with a schedule. Sunday mornings an hour laying on Samantha’s feet. 10:30 am some time in your “office” the bathroom closet. Afternoons in your chair that you usurped from Samantha. It became the running joke in the family. 5:30 to 6:00 pm you would wander in and out of the kitchen. Samantha would say Speed wants us in the living room! This was Speedy time even though it was kind of weird. Samantha would sit on the floor and you would drop just out of reach! Samantha would scooch so she could pet you and give you love. We had our bedtime game. You would settle close to my feet, I would pet you and then you would attack me scratching and kicking, complete with the love bites! In a low voice ow, Speedy why are you attacking me, I am your friend! Going upstairs to bed had it’s own game. I would go to the bathroom and you would sit between the living room and dining room. I would come out and ask you to come to bed, go to pet you and you would take a couple steps away from me. Round two, same result!! We would both go our separate ways!
Speedy in closing we wished we could have had more time with you. The tumor in your bladder was just too big. The vet was going to give you at most two months to live and they would have been miserable. We could already tell you felt bad about missing the litter box before we knew of the tumor. You were an awesome cat! The hole in our hearts you left with your passing was immense, not because of loss or longing. It was as big as it was because of love and companionship. Your personality shined during your three years with us and that is what we hold onto as the days pass since you left us.