I would be remiss to skip on the beauty of Fatty's last adventures and happy days before he got injured and spiraled through the portal of death. One week ago today marks the day he pranced into the world of eternal slumber. Well before that day though, he lived.
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| Project time! Yay! |
I got an elf sweater which really inspired me on working on projects before Christmas. If I had a small matching one that he would bear wearing, he would have worn one too!
He was incredibly happy the month or two before he eternally fell asleep.
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| Let me out. |
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| I know its 5 AM but I am ready to get out. |
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| Is that fresh coffee? Out. Yes, time for out. Open. |
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| I love his little face. |
He was eating really well and had even gained two pounds and pranced around proud of his regrown belly.
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| Nanny cam...watching Fatty eat from afar. |
Last week he, insanely, tried to attack Bentley from the back. He knew it would be a lost fight but the little warrior in him still wanted to go after his sweet sleeping brother. I ran as fast as I could to scoop him up and remove him before he attacked.
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| He was a tough little one. |
He regained his passion for eating, enthusiastically chomped down food and made the funniest little snorts. I had discovered that mixing a tiny bit of hot water with their wet food made it more appetizing for both him and Bentley. There were days where I couldn't set both bowls of food down at once and Fatty would shove Bentley out of the way, then they would take turns biting at each others ears till I put down the second bowl of soupy warm cat food. They loved each other and competed with each other till the end. If any one wonders, yes cats grieve. Bentley has been out of sorts, quiet and lethargic since his twin brother died. Fatty and him shared everything in life. Bentley has been sleeping in Fatty's old bed and looks at us with wide eyes wondering why...
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| Take us for a walk with you...actually, come back inside and cuddle. Exercise is overrated. |
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Now isn't this better than a walk?
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Above was about two weeks ago. Bentley always sits down easily finding his spot. Fatty would turn and turn at least 20 times and by the time he made up his mind on where to sit it was usually time for me to get up.
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Fancy feast time! Why didn't the lunch lady find out about this warm water trick before?
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I find that putting a nightlight by their food helped them find their way at night. Old kitty cats can't see as well as they used to in the dark.
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| Senior kitty nap time! |
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| As you can see, the Fat one didn't like sharing me with his brother. |
About two weeks ago I decided to make fresh happy curtains. I had bought some really happy material at Calico Corner.
My rule of thumb for buying upholstery fabric is asking myself, "Is it happy?" If it is neutral it has to be a natural fiber like linen or flax cloth. But otherwise, happy colors are a good bet to go on. I knew I'd have a little friend who would love to watch me sew. So one fine day I pulled out my old sewing machine that my parents gave me when I graduated high school, I alternated watching Downton Abbey and listening to music, and got to work. I went upstairs to measure from the ceiling to the floor and subtracted 3 inches to allow for the curtain rod to be below the ceiling, and for the fabric to reach an inch above the floor. Fatty was excited to see what I was up to and sniffed curiously as I rummaged in our tool box looking for measuring tape, and a level.
As I rolled the fabric out on the floor to measure it he paced up and down sniffing carefully to see that we weren't missing anything. I loved how each project I made had him next to me. It was usually a mix of curiosity, wonder to see if it was edible, and a tiny bit of jealousy that I was "petting" the project and not sitting dutifully on the couch petting him.
The funny part is that I turned on music to listen and dance to while I cut the fabric, ironed the seams and sewed it together. Fatty and I used to be a great dance pair. Something along the lines of Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers. When he was lighter on his paws, he'd love to dance and follow my feet. I wish I had videos of some of our dances, they were epic...
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| Last dance with Fatty. |
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| Stop these feet for a minute and put that awful phone away! |
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| He actually liked Downton Abbey. "At my age, one must ration one's excitement." - Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey |
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Fatty thoroughly hated my phone, as you can tell by the picture. He saw my phone as an inanimate, unfluffy thing that took too much attention away from him. He and Bentley were born before I had a cell phone in 2001, and my smart phone entering my life in 2017 was not a welcome addition! If he could have eaten it, he would have.
Here, he also wasn't too fond of the song that was playing by Missy Elliot. I agree, it was a bit below our class... |
Two weeks ago, it was as if my making the curtains and dancing with him in between was our last dance and creative moment. He was mildly irritated with my initial music of choice, but he didn't complain too much seeing me happy, and then when I got tired of it I changed it to his very favorite: Miss Patsy Cline. I scooped him up and nestled him in my arms and we danced "Walking After Midnight."
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| Time for us to sew. |
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| The top is lined up straight! Make sure you put some catnip on the fabric so it smells good too. |
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| Watching me cut the fabric. |
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| Yes, this will suit my new abode just fine. |
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| He sat on the pedal for some reason really determined to get in the way to help. We decided to share. |
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| Fatty put the lining in just right! |
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| Ta da! |
Later in the week I got a horrible cold and spent a lot of time on the couch with him and Bentley watching... Downton Abbey. They liked it, I liked it, so we were good to go.
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| Steamy vapors and time on the couch with the two kittens were all I could muster. |
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| You should make some soup and sit with me. |
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| Olive oil is welcome too. |
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I hope your nose looks normal soon!
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| Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Stop what you're doing and sit. |
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| That is more like it. |
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| Mornings are for food and naps. Go back to bed. No, feed me, love me, then go back to bed. |
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| He oversaw me when I had a bad cold till I felt better. |
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The cabinet behind me has my favorite olive oil. When you are done doing important human mistakes, come feed me, and cuddle me.
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| A nest of Fattness on the couch |
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| Master of the art of sleep-sitting. As far as I was concerned, he always needed to know where I was, and that I loved him, and that food was nearby. |
Once I felt better I made an eggplant parm. He joined in the cooking fun. If there was one thing Fatty liked to do, it was getting in the way. He loved being in the middle of the kitchen at the busiest time and "helping" me by being somewhere inbetween my feet or nearly under them, just enough to frighten both of us as soon as I took a step.
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| I was always nervous frying anything with him under my feet. However, in 19 years and him underneath my feet each day, we never had a big accident. |
I feel like I am qualified to train the Russian Ballet on pirouettes avoiding stepping on a cat, or leaping high into the air after identifying a paw underfoot!
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| I'm right here. Yes. I'm here under your cooking. Try not to drop more food on me. |
Fatty also had an art of making me feel guilty for snacking. He would look at me with the most judgmental expression till I gave him a snack too. Then we could be back on good terms. He adored licking olive oil and had a special little dish in the corner of the kitchen. He knew exactly where the olive oil was kept and would sit by the cabinet waiting expectantly for us to serve him some.
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| I know the stove is here, but so is my favorite olive oil. Feed me, then you can feed yourself. Fair enough? |
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| Hunting for the best spot in the sun. |
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| Enjoying his soft warm crate. |
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