Boo

Boo came into our lives in the summer of 2010. He had big, soul piercing Blue eyes and an unmistakable, annoying loud cat meow. He was a stray at Birch Pointe Apartments in Beaverton, Oregon.

The first time I noticed him he was sitting under a hedge near our apartment. He was watching people passing by and hiding. He looked like a Yoda from Star Wars.

Earlier that week, I had seen a young man carrying out furniture from a downstairs apartment across the courtyard from us. He looked like he was struggling and hurrying to get out. 

A couple days went by, and I often heard the kitty crying outside. I thought the owner must have forgotten to let him inside,” poor cat!”

That day as I was getting my mail, I went past the community bulletin board and I saw a large handwritten note. The note said, “Does anyone know who owns the cat that has been meowing for the last week? I’m think of trapping it or calling someone to come get rid of it.”

Then it dawned on me the cat was Mr. Blue Eyes and his days might be numbered if I didn’t’ rescue him. My mind went back to the guy who was moving out in a hurry and then I realized he probably abandoned his cat.

Who would abandon their cat, I thought? I walked home and made a plan to get Mr. Kitty into our home.

 My family had move to Oregon a couple years ago and brought along our mostly, outdoor cat named Tig. He was a big brown tabby that we had raised from a kitten, but he didn’t very well after the move from Californian to the snowy Oregon climate. Tig lived many his nine lives in a short time. Unfortunately, his last life was in the first winter we moved to Oregon.

He was found in a neighbor’s yard cold and stiff with his tongue sticking out. The neighbor had brought he collar over to me cut in half with a mean looking sneer on his face. He said,” This cat was in my yard dead maybe his collar got caught on the tree choked on a branch while , he was trying to get one of my birds.” “Come get your cat out of my yard.”

I looked at him, very suspiciously and said we would be over to pick him up.

Tig was a sad, fierce cat and I know he had not been happy couped up in our rented home.  

The last time I saw Tig alive, was when I let him out after the first day of the snow started melting. I opened the back door to the yard and looked at him as he made his way outside trying not to step in melting snow. I looked at him and said in my mind hey do not go. I changed my mind and I wanted to put him back in. I thought to myself, “Oh it is the last time I am going to see him…” I thought what a crazy thought this is… I tried to get him, but he slipped away across the yard and over a fence.

Several days later after frantic searching the creepy, bird loving neighbor came by. My son and I went to retrieve Tig. We found him cold and dead. I noticed the weird yellow liquid in a pan outside the neighbor’s yard. It looked like antifreeze because I saw a bottle of it nearby.

I thought about calling the police but how could we prove he killed my cat on purpose. Overwhelmed with grief we drove him to the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter, and they said they would take him to cremate him. We did not have a place to bury Tig because we rented the home.

I guess I cried for about a year almost every week missing him and blaming myself for letting home get out. Blaming my self for bringing him to a God forsake place like Oregon, snowstorms and bad people, neighborhoods full of coyotes too. ‘

California had been warm, and people were kind to cats as far as I had experienced.  I had not wanted another cat at all. No cat could take Tig’s place. Everyone one who raises  cat from a kitten knows this feeling. You are the kitten’s mom or caregiver and it’s a special kind of task in this world.

                               Mr. Kitty

I sat on my couch and was thinking about what I might make for lunch. I heard the kitty crying outside as usual. I told my husband, “Hey, let’s let him in and see what happens.” My husband went to the door and called to the cat. To our surprise Mr. Kitty came running up the stairs coming directly inside.

He came right up to me and jumped up on the couch. His loud purr started, and I petted him. I scratched him under his little white chin. He looked into my eyes and his huge blue eyes told me, “Thank you for loving me. I’m so lonely, thank you.”

That was it Mr. Kitty got renamed, Boo. My husband named him. I don’t know why he liked that name. Maybe it is because we used to call my son. Boo Boo, an affectionate name for a baby.

Boo stayed inside some of the day. He would cry loud when he wanted to

Go outside. He was a big boy cat, Greyish black stripes and white under belly and paws. He was filling the space that Tig left in my heart when he died.

He still loved to sit under the bush by our apartment, hiding from human view; or so he thought.

One day, Boo came in and a small fluffy young cat ran in behind him.

The cat was almost a kitten. She was fluffy grey and white long-haired kitty. She had double flea collars wrapped tightly around her neck. We checked her for a collar indicating she belonged to someone. There was no sign of anything to show she belonged to someone. She did not have a chip either, we checked.

The kitten ran out and came back in and chowed some on some dry cat food. She acted like she had never seen food before. Boo hung close to her. He seemed almost maternal to the kitty. He cleaned her head, licking her gently.

The two cats stayed near each other most of the day. They played on our balcony and slept there too. We were keeping Boo. I knew he was abandoned, but I was not so sure of the fluffy kitty.

My sons and husband wanted to keep the small kitty too. I do not want two cats. I I thought I will just keep putting her back outside someone will keep her and that would be the end of it.

The kitty came back every other day for a week, until it just came every day. We called her Baby Kitty. Boo was an older cat with bad teeth. I took him to the vet and he told me he was about six ears old. The vet said his front teeth were cracked and it looked like he had either been in a car accident or someone had kicked him in the mouth.

The vet had the nerve to imply maybe myself or someone we knew did it! I was really ad after I left and needless to say I never went back to that vet.

I found another better vet and decided someday to fix his teeth. Eventually, I did spend a lot of money on poor Boos mouth. He had some lesion in his mouth that the vet said might be cancer. During the teeth removal, the vet took out what she said might be some form of early cancer.

We had o take Baby Kitty to a free vet to get her, spayed. She jumped off my balcony when she was in heat and we almost lost her one night. I decide to get her spayed so she could settle down. Because she was maybe going to be set free again, they said they had to cut a tip of her ear off. Poor Baby Kitty also had one deformed eye. She could see out of it but with the cut tip of her ear and the misshapen eye she looked a bit worn. We never see that because when is such a beautiful fluffy grey and white princess, with the cutest little girl meow.

We eventually move dot our own home and lived happily with Boo, Baby Kitty and our Tigsley. Tigsley came into our lives when my college son couldn’t keep her in his small room. We raided Tigsley from kitten. He was like my little baby and still is spoiled and like a little baby. Boo also cleaned Tigsley head and took care of him. He seemed to mentor Tigsley like a dad to him. We live at least seven happy years with our three cats. We kept them as inside cats, except when we took them out on our patio deck to the garden. We watch them carefully. We had birds and squirrels sometime a bird got caught and we had to shoo these creatures away.

                                       Goodbye Boo

One month or so after Boo had some more teeth pulled and cleaned, he started getting thinner. I thought it was because of the teeth not being there to eat properly.

Soon he started having breathing issues. He had labored breathing and I told my vet about it but they did not have an appointment for him for two weeks.

Boo began to go to places in the house he never went to. He went to my son’s room and sat by the window. He usually sat on my lap every night, but he stopped doing this. I had to go find him and put him on my lap. He had the most comforting way of sitting and staring at me right into my eyes. Like he knew what I was feeling, like he knew what I was thinking. He reminded me of an angel or an alien sometimes. Boo always came t me when I cried or felt pain. He was a beautiful cat with a heart of gold.

I was downstairs forgetting about Boo watching TV. I remembered he was not feeling well. I went up to check on him and he was breathing so badly. I got my son to help me take him to an all-night vet.

When we got him there, he could barely breathe? Because of Covid , we could go inside with him. When the prognosis came out with the veterinarian, it was the worst we could imagine. They had given him albuterol to breather easier and a sedative. She said after the Xray that her had fluid all around his lungs and that even with surgery and treatment he would probably die with in months. I thought about just throwing down thousands to help him. He was my sweet Boo. My lap kitty. I promised him to take good care of him. But it was not meant to be. The vet said that even if we did get the fluid our it would probably be there again tomorrow, and he would suffer every day.

We made the decision no one ever wants to. He would be put to sleep forever.

My son and I came into the room with the vet and held Boo in hugged him while he sat on the table purring. I cried out Boo you have been t the best kitty and thank you for healing my heart. I wanted to stop the euphemism I asked her again if we could just take him home. She said it would be best for him and that he would just be suffering.

I was grateful that she made the final decision for me. This was unbearable.

I felt his soft fur for the last time. I petted him goodbye as he purred and then went to sleep very fast. It was without pain. The last thing he felt was us near him. Loving him very much. We were given the option to get a cat paw print and to cremate Boo. We chose to have him cremated and we have him in sweet little box with God rest Boo printed on it. I keep in on our shelf for now and we may eventually bury him under one of his favorite trees or bushes. He has gone on and now we just have the love he left in our hearts to keep in our memories of him.

                                      Boo and life

Boo was the most loyal and kindest cat. He came into my life when I was needing to share my love after losing our other kitty. I always felt Tig sent him to me from heaven. I know that when I move on, I will see all my pets at the Rainbow bridge. We lose them and we rescue them. Our pets rescue us and fil our lives with love.

Sometimes when I’m in the sunshine out on our patio I feel Boos love and hear him purr in my heart.

Sarah Shaar

10/2020

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