RIP Isaac the Cat (1996-2014)
In November of 1995, we moved into our new home. This was our first house, having lived in apartments up until this point. We knew that the house needed more life. So in February of 1996 we were referred to a woman whose cat had had kittens. We were given a good reference by someone who had previously adopted from this woman. We went to her house, and met Isaac and his litter-mate Albert. We lost Albert in 2010.
Isaac was clearly the extrovert of the two cats. When people would come to visit, Albert would hide and Isaac would cautiously investigate. Later in life Isaac took to walking to the front door, sitting on the floor directly in front of a visitor, and meowing sharply. This always resulted in the pet he clearly deserved. He was also an instant celebrity when he greeted children on Halloween at the door or sitting in the window. (“That cat MOVED!”) Isaac was also the most willing to play. We remember Isaac’s ability to jump 4-5 feet in the air after the laser pointer on a wall, the ability to bat paper balls out of the air with deadly accuracy, and the ability to hold a single meow longer than any opera singer. He was also a good and loyal snuggler, and would make it clear when he required you to provide his personal favorite spot next to you.Both cats were gentle, never using claws on people’s skin. They didn’t often claw at the furniture much once they were trained. They NEVER bit a person, instead hissing or very rarely growling when mishandled.
Isaac lived to 18 years and 10 months. That’s about the equivalent of a 90-year-old human. He purred for us almost every day of that long life, including this morning. A few years ago he developed arthritis in his hips, and kidney trouble. Recently, all of that deteriorated quickly – he had pain in all joints and could only walk a few feet, couldn’t use the litter box, and had stopped eating. He had dropped from an all-time high of 18 pounds (a little chubby, but he was sleek at 15 pounds much of his life) to 10.
Isaac is survived by his owners Mark and Carolyn, and predeceased by his brother Albert. He will be greatly missed.
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Kitty is alright
I mentioned on Thursday that Isaac had a lump on his leg.
The vet called today. The tissue tested as fatty tissue – making this a fatty tumor which is benign and very common in older cats. We are to contact the vet if the lump changes, but otherwise it’s not something to worry about.
Isaac could care less. It’s not affecting him at all.
We’re feeling better.
Sick Kitty?
Our cats are coming up on 12 years old. This is the time of life when age starts to take a toll.
Isaac is the cat on the lower stair above. He’s already suffering from what is likely arthritis in his hips.
This week we discovered a lump on his back right leg. It’s a solid but spongy mass under the skin at about knee-level. It’s about the size of a dime in diameter and about the height of 3 dimes. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all – he’s still running and jumping and sleeping as much as usual.
We took him to the vet last night. The vet did a needle biopsy, and we should get the results by Monday. He said it could be something sinister or could be as simple as a fatty tumor that is almost always benign.
I hope he’s OK.
(The other cat is Albert, in case you were wondering. They’re from the same litter. We’ve had them since they were 6 weeks old.)
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