Friends come and go. It just sucks when they are close.
Joey was his name. He was a very loyal friend. He was there every time I worked on the Jeep but never helped and often hindered. The kind of friend you always new would be there no matter what happened. Always came when you called. Pretty much never let me down. You could tell he enjoyed spending time together and he was always happy.
Joey
Yeah I know. A fucking cat. The last thing you’d expect to be attached to. I have had many pets over the years (remember I am old
) and some of them you are attached to and others you could give a shit about. Cats in particular have their own agenda and usually do what ever the hell they want to. I think that is why most people dislike them (and their piss stinks too!). They show no signs of affection. All I can say is that this one was different. Acted like a dog a lot more than a cat. He was probably better than 80% of all the dogs out there too. That is why it hurts so badly. He was unique and everyone who met him concurred.
It all started in September of 2003. For some odd reason I stopped off for a bite at Taco Bell and felt compelled to walk into Pet Smart next door. I originally wanted to look to see if they carried any acrylic aquariums. I happened to walk by the pet adoption center which they only seem to have cats. Two cats caught my eye. Their names were Frankie and Joey. They were brothers out of the same litter. The reason they were there was as kittens they were left by their owners in an empty lot. A close-by neighbor noticed that they kept running up to people and wanted to be with them but kids would throw rocks at them so the neighbor brought them into a humane society of some sort so they could be cared for. I don’t know how long they were there but when I first saw them they were about 8 months old.
A week went by and I went back to visit. And they were still there. The adoption center would only let them go as a pair. They were inseparable and the best of friends. I figured since it was a pair that is why they were still there. Frankie was really cute and Joey was the ugly one. It was truly Frankie that caught my eye.
I continued to visit every week for the next three weeks. The fifth week, my wife happened to be present, with out me even asking, she said let us bring them home. I made her promise me she wouldn’t eat them but she said cat meat didn’t taste good so I felt safe.
We took them home after buying all the usual stuff. We opened the cages and immediately Frankie wandered out, checking out the surroundings very cautiously. Joey stayed in the cage keeping a very careful eye on everything. I even thing I had to nudge him out. He immediately ran into my server rack and sat inside for hours checking us out through the mesh door. Frankie followed.
Over the next couple of weeks, Frankie warmed up to us and Joey stayed very reserved and careful. We noticed immediately they hadn’t stopped growing. When it was all said and done, Frankie was 17lbs and Joey was 18lbs. The scary part was that they were not fat, just huge. I could hold Joey’s front paws up to my naval and his feet were still on the ground. I am 6 feet tall too.
Frankie never warmed up to my wife. Because of that she always said Frankie was gay and was definitely my cat. She said then Joey was her cat. It took over two months for Joey to warm up to us but when he did, he turned into what Mei and I called the ‘love Nazi.’ He wanted to be with us all the time. If we didn’t pay attention to him, he would gently tap us on the cheek until we looked his way. Frankie assumed the nickname ‘dumb cat.’ Still not sure if he is dumb, but compared to his brother he sure was. There was something weird about Joey. He was smarter than most animals I had ever come in contact with. He’d do things that always shocked us. He preferred my wife’s food and Frankie would prefer my food. My wife would always slip him food he wasn’t supposed to have like spicy French fries and seaweed which he seemed to love. The French fries thing was hysterical because he loved them and would walk around with his mouth open due to the spice. I know it was horrible for him, but he liked them. Frankie likes white bread, go figure.
Over time, Joey stole my wife and I’s hearts. Frankie was always there but that was about it. Yeah, we like him but……….he wasn’t a Joey. I know parents shouldn’t play favorites but in this case, Joey was the star and Frankie followed in his footsteps. The whole time Frankie and Joey were best friends, even though their personalities were totally opposite. The two of them would sleep together and hang out constantly.
Joey would never scratch us. He knew his claws were dangerous, especially when he played. If he was playing rough with me he would never bite, just a slight nibble. Frankie, on the other hand, you could loose your arm to.
It got to the point where Joey never wanted to be without us. We had to lock him outside the bedroom every night and he would literally scream for an hour wanting us to come out and hang with him. I am sure the neighbors’ loved that. We used to feed him right before we went to bed to try to curtail that. It sort of worked.
Frankie and Joey were indoor cats at first until Joey got sick last summer. It seems that in the heat and due to inactivity, cats can get bladder infections easily. Joey was not immune to that. Two weeks and $1500 later he was back to normal. He lost 4 lbs which he never gained back and for exercise, we started letting him outside along with Frankie. The exercise helps prevent the infections. Those two cats were in heaven. They had a new found freedom. They were hunting and playing daily. We put them out all day every day while at work and they came back in during the evening to sleep, eat, and hang with us.
My neighbor told me that Joey actually looked both ways before crossing the street. He loved to go across the street and catch birds in the neighbor’s yard. My neighbor said he walked up to the curb, looked left, looked right, and if there was a car, he would take one step back. If it was clear, he would cross. She said he did that all of the time.
As I worked on the Jeep, Joey was always there. He would be eating my food, following me around, unless, of course, I had the impact wrench out. Many, many times I would be working under the hood and Joey would have his two hind feet on the front tire and his two front feet on the front fender looking at what I was doing. He always had an eye on me and kept all the large bugs off of me.
Yesterday started off as a good day. Everything was going well and I was in a good mood during work. I came home from work to find the two boys acting normal and having fun. I then left to watch the Clippers get their asses handed to them at a local restaurant. I came home about 11:00 and Frankie was waiting for me as usual but no Joey. We come in the house and I wash up. I was feeling tired and decided not to turn on the computer. I was going to lie down. I realized Joey wasn’t there so before I head to bed I went out side and called for him. He didn’t come. He had always come. I walked out to the front of the house to see if he was over at the neighbor’s. I called. No Joey. I walk into the back yard to see if he is there. I called. He comes sort of running dragging his hind leg behind him. He didn’t seem to be in any pain but Joey never showed he was in pain. It seemed like an inconvenience to him. He was happy to see Dad. I was worried. In the ambient light I see he is hurt and hurt bad. I take him in the house to inspect him. He is still happy to see me. I look, and he didn’t even moan, there is a gaping hole in him. I see muscle and things I should never be able to see. It is about 4 inches and goes into his crotch. He never bats an eye. I know in his mind he thinks I can take care of him.
I look online for a Veterinarian school thinking it is the affordable way to zip him back up, pop a couple of pills in him, and take my friend home. Evidently there is no vet schools easily found in Los Angeles. I find a 24 hour vet and load up the truck for the short drive. We have a bad coyote problem here in South Pasadena so the vet suspected it was that. I get in there and it is not good. Damage is real bad. It was a difficult call with him staring at me because I knew what he was thinking. He thought he was going to be okay. Blood was everywhere. I had to make the horrible decision and I broke down. There he was, acting cool and calm and stronger than I. It made the good bye so fucking hard.
I keep on thinking about his face staring at ‘Dad’ when I said good bye. I probably embarrassed myself when I was there but I didn’t give a shit. It was 1:30 in the morning.
Today is the day I lost Joey and Frankie lost his brother. It’s been on my mind all day walking around with watery eyes. I have had different animals over time. He was a lot more than an animal or a pet, he was a damn good irreplaceable friend.
Yeah I know, just a fucking cat……………….
Joey was his name. He was a very loyal friend. He was there every time I worked on the Jeep but never helped and often hindered. The kind of friend you always new would be there no matter what happened. Always came when you called. Pretty much never let me down. You could tell he enjoyed spending time together and he was always happy.
Joey
Yeah I know. A fucking cat. The last thing you’d expect to be attached to. I have had many pets over the years (remember I am old
) and some of them you are attached to and others you could give a shit about. Cats in particular have their own agenda and usually do what ever the hell they want to. I think that is why most people dislike them (and their piss stinks too!). They show no signs of affection. All I can say is that this one was different. Acted like a dog a lot more than a cat. He was probably better than 80% of all the dogs out there too. That is why it hurts so badly. He was unique and everyone who met him concurred.It all started in September of 2003. For some odd reason I stopped off for a bite at Taco Bell and felt compelled to walk into Pet Smart next door. I originally wanted to look to see if they carried any acrylic aquariums. I happened to walk by the pet adoption center which they only seem to have cats. Two cats caught my eye. Their names were Frankie and Joey. They were brothers out of the same litter. The reason they were there was as kittens they were left by their owners in an empty lot. A close-by neighbor noticed that they kept running up to people and wanted to be with them but kids would throw rocks at them so the neighbor brought them into a humane society of some sort so they could be cared for. I don’t know how long they were there but when I first saw them they were about 8 months old.
A week went by and I went back to visit. And they were still there. The adoption center would only let them go as a pair. They were inseparable and the best of friends. I figured since it was a pair that is why they were still there. Frankie was really cute and Joey was the ugly one. It was truly Frankie that caught my eye.
I continued to visit every week for the next three weeks. The fifth week, my wife happened to be present, with out me even asking, she said let us bring them home. I made her promise me she wouldn’t eat them but she said cat meat didn’t taste good so I felt safe.
We took them home after buying all the usual stuff. We opened the cages and immediately Frankie wandered out, checking out the surroundings very cautiously. Joey stayed in the cage keeping a very careful eye on everything. I even thing I had to nudge him out. He immediately ran into my server rack and sat inside for hours checking us out through the mesh door. Frankie followed.
Over the next couple of weeks, Frankie warmed up to us and Joey stayed very reserved and careful. We noticed immediately they hadn’t stopped growing. When it was all said and done, Frankie was 17lbs and Joey was 18lbs. The scary part was that they were not fat, just huge. I could hold Joey’s front paws up to my naval and his feet were still on the ground. I am 6 feet tall too.
Frankie never warmed up to my wife. Because of that she always said Frankie was gay and was definitely my cat. She said then Joey was her cat. It took over two months for Joey to warm up to us but when he did, he turned into what Mei and I called the ‘love Nazi.’ He wanted to be with us all the time. If we didn’t pay attention to him, he would gently tap us on the cheek until we looked his way. Frankie assumed the nickname ‘dumb cat.’ Still not sure if he is dumb, but compared to his brother he sure was. There was something weird about Joey. He was smarter than most animals I had ever come in contact with. He’d do things that always shocked us. He preferred my wife’s food and Frankie would prefer my food. My wife would always slip him food he wasn’t supposed to have like spicy French fries and seaweed which he seemed to love. The French fries thing was hysterical because he loved them and would walk around with his mouth open due to the spice. I know it was horrible for him, but he liked them. Frankie likes white bread, go figure.
Over time, Joey stole my wife and I’s hearts. Frankie was always there but that was about it. Yeah, we like him but……….he wasn’t a Joey. I know parents shouldn’t play favorites but in this case, Joey was the star and Frankie followed in his footsteps. The whole time Frankie and Joey were best friends, even though their personalities were totally opposite. The two of them would sleep together and hang out constantly.
Joey would never scratch us. He knew his claws were dangerous, especially when he played. If he was playing rough with me he would never bite, just a slight nibble. Frankie, on the other hand, you could loose your arm to.
It got to the point where Joey never wanted to be without us. We had to lock him outside the bedroom every night and he would literally scream for an hour wanting us to come out and hang with him. I am sure the neighbors’ loved that. We used to feed him right before we went to bed to try to curtail that. It sort of worked.
Frankie and Joey were indoor cats at first until Joey got sick last summer. It seems that in the heat and due to inactivity, cats can get bladder infections easily. Joey was not immune to that. Two weeks and $1500 later he was back to normal. He lost 4 lbs which he never gained back and for exercise, we started letting him outside along with Frankie. The exercise helps prevent the infections. Those two cats were in heaven. They had a new found freedom. They were hunting and playing daily. We put them out all day every day while at work and they came back in during the evening to sleep, eat, and hang with us.
My neighbor told me that Joey actually looked both ways before crossing the street. He loved to go across the street and catch birds in the neighbor’s yard. My neighbor said he walked up to the curb, looked left, looked right, and if there was a car, he would take one step back. If it was clear, he would cross. She said he did that all of the time.
As I worked on the Jeep, Joey was always there. He would be eating my food, following me around, unless, of course, I had the impact wrench out. Many, many times I would be working under the hood and Joey would have his two hind feet on the front tire and his two front feet on the front fender looking at what I was doing. He always had an eye on me and kept all the large bugs off of me.
Yesterday started off as a good day. Everything was going well and I was in a good mood during work. I came home from work to find the two boys acting normal and having fun. I then left to watch the Clippers get their asses handed to them at a local restaurant. I came home about 11:00 and Frankie was waiting for me as usual but no Joey. We come in the house and I wash up. I was feeling tired and decided not to turn on the computer. I was going to lie down. I realized Joey wasn’t there so before I head to bed I went out side and called for him. He didn’t come. He had always come. I walked out to the front of the house to see if he was over at the neighbor’s. I called. No Joey. I walk into the back yard to see if he is there. I called. He comes sort of running dragging his hind leg behind him. He didn’t seem to be in any pain but Joey never showed he was in pain. It seemed like an inconvenience to him. He was happy to see Dad. I was worried. In the ambient light I see he is hurt and hurt bad. I take him in the house to inspect him. He is still happy to see me. I look, and he didn’t even moan, there is a gaping hole in him. I see muscle and things I should never be able to see. It is about 4 inches and goes into his crotch. He never bats an eye. I know in his mind he thinks I can take care of him.
I look online for a Veterinarian school thinking it is the affordable way to zip him back up, pop a couple of pills in him, and take my friend home. Evidently there is no vet schools easily found in Los Angeles. I find a 24 hour vet and load up the truck for the short drive. We have a bad coyote problem here in South Pasadena so the vet suspected it was that. I get in there and it is not good. Damage is real bad. It was a difficult call with him staring at me because I knew what he was thinking. He thought he was going to be okay. Blood was everywhere. I had to make the horrible decision and I broke down. There he was, acting cool and calm and stronger than I. It made the good bye so fucking hard.
I keep on thinking about his face staring at ‘Dad’ when I said good bye. I probably embarrassed myself when I was there but I didn’t give a shit. It was 1:30 in the morning.
Today is the day I lost Joey and Frankie lost his brother. It’s been on my mind all day walking around with watery eyes. I have had different animals over time. He was a lot more than an animal or a pet, he was a damn good irreplaceable friend.
Yeah I know, just a fucking cat……………….
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