Oh, how my heart hurts
For my sweet boy Rudy
Has passed away
So sudden and unexpected
I’m surrounded by so many
memories
Everywhere I turn
I remember where you were
Because everything has a
story
You came into my life
during some difficult years
I remember adopting you, this
cute little orange kitten
Rather scrappy but oh so
full of personality
That boy could purr
When we open the door
You were always there to
greet us
You never knew a stranger
Always eager to meet
someone new
Perched on your cat stand
You looked out the window
Watched the birds
Then napped in the sun
With patience you waited
for your brother Junior
Until he came out of
hiding three weeks later
Then you became fast friends
for life
Sure, you had your little tussles
but they didn’t last
When Sissy came along
You watched and waited for
her
Soon she was with you 24/7
How her heart must be
hurting right now
I will always remember our
drive from California to Texas, 3 ½ days
3 kitties in their
carries, 2 birds in a cage, winding our way in 2 cars
Junior and Sissy slept in
their litter box and piddled in their beds
Only Rudy got it right
Oh, how my sweet boy loved
sunshine
Catching a patch of morning
sunshine in the office
Sitting on the tub for
early afternoon
Catching the last rays of
sun as you lay on our bed
Boy oh boy, did Rudy love
to eat
The big boy with the tiny meow
Persistently and loudly let
us know it was breakfast time
Getting close to dinner, Rudy
was there to keep me on track
Rudy knew the real deal
A piece of chicken or tuna,
uh no thank you
Cat treats, No! Wouldn’t touch it!
He stuck with the real stuff,
canned food and dry
Towards the end of his
days
When his sight was failing
He would tap his water so
he could know it was there
Then we would find a
little trail of Rudy prints on the floor
Rudy loved to be loved
He loved to meet new
people
He made friends where ever
he went, even the vets
We often heard, “He is so
sweet!”
But he had a special
friendship
With our friend Julie
My social butterfly needed
companionship
So, Julie came and spent
time with him while we were away
When we had guests
The other kitties were scarce
But Rudy safely guarded
Ron and Carol
Keeping watch just outside
their door
Rudy loved water, at bath
time
He would sit on the side
and drape his tail in the water
After a shower, he could
be found sitting in the stall
Not the least disturbed by
the water
Clipping his nails was a
breeze
I could easily snip them off
and be done
Not so with Junior who has
to be tackled
Taking three times longer
Rudy wasn’t fearful or
afraid
I never heard him growl or
hiss
Towards the end, he was leery
of our new dryer
He could see the clothes
through the glass door and rushed on by
My favorite time with Ru
was nap time
He would never sit on my
lap
But he loved to curl up
and lay by my side
Tucked safely under the
blanket
He slept better than
anyone I’ve ever known
And he snored…loudly!
When we let him sleep in
our room
He slept the whole night
through
It was fun to watch Rudy,
even in his old age
Have moments when he was
frisky and playful
Batting a catnip mouse on
the floor
Or watching the ball go
around the cat scratcher
The end came sudden and so
unexpected
What seemed like a simple vet
visit
Soon escalated into something
serious
We had a hard decision to
make
You sought to be alone, curled
up in a corner
Suddenly, Sissy hissed,
was afraid and stayed away
Junior who had been with
you for years
Wouldn’t come near and ran
away
As you laid in your bed in
the sun
Sissy fearfully peered
around the corner
With big eyes she watched
Then ran away
As we drove to the vet
I sat beside you
Petting you for the last
time
My poor boy, you were
suffering and in pain
In tears we held you
Heard you purr your last purr
And then you were gone
Rudy, you took a piece of
my heart with you
It’s hard walking in our
home and remember you are no longer there
Each room I enter there
are memories of you
I miss you my sweet boy, you
were my ray of sunshine
Ever so grateful that you
were ours for 13 ½ years
Rudy, mama’s sweet boy
Adopted October 28, 2006
Died May 7, 2020
