Rudy's Feathers

From the day I brought Rudy home, all he wanted to play with was play with feather toys. His favorite came from Camille Drake at abccats. He would grab the feather wand just under feathers and drag the wand around the house. He loved to drag the wand up the stairs and deposit it in bed. sometimes it was a present to me, sometimes it was for fun and games.

His passion for feathers on a stick was one of the more endearing things about Rudy. If there was a feather, he was there within seconds. I had to put away the toys because they made me cry.

The thing I miss 4

Rudy won't greet me at the door any more. He won't flip his tail into my open mouth (I was going to say face, but figured I'm better tell the truth). I won't get to see him make that magnificent jump onto the armoire. His body won't be pressed against my legs at night. He won't play with his feather toys. He won't sit for hours watching the wildlife outside. He won't make a mess of Art's African violets. My drinking glass will never be tipped over.

Sometimes I think the whole thing was a dream, such a short life. And then I remember my beautiful red boy and his infectious grin, and it was all real. I am glad I could cherish every minute, not to mention his passion for life with my Twitter pals.

We all miss you, Rudy

Rudy and Doors

Doors were put on earth to be opened. Rudy could open cabinet doors, didn't get in the cabinet, just opened them. He was bound and determined to get into the antique wardrobe doors, but hadn't quite figured them out. He would just bang on them, and that didn't work. If he would have lived longer, he would have figured out doorknobs. I saw him wrap his paws around them several times.

The most interesting time with him and door knobs was when my parents stayed with us. We were dog sitting, and the dogs sleep with Art. Mom and Dad had the spare room, and I had the couch. I was reading, and I heard a terrible rattling upstairs. And then it happened again. Mom came downstairs in the morning and I had to ask her what that was since I really didn't want to know those things about my parents. Turns out Rudy was rattling the door knob until the door popped open. In trotted Rudy with Maggie behind him. Mom had to put a suitcase behind the door, and it sort of dissuaded him in that pursuit.

The Shower and Drinkwell Fountain

Maine Coon cats are not afraid of water. They have a coat with oil to help repel snow and rain. They also have large paws with fur, commonly described as snowshoe paws. Both Rudy and Maggie spend a lot of time in the kitchen sink, not to mention the shower. hey loved to walk through the shower immediately after the water was turned off and track their distnictive pawrints all over the bathroom and bedroom.

Rudy loved to watch the water pour down the glass shower doors. He'd paw at the doors, making them rattle very hard. One day he stuck his head under my towel, spread his front legs, and pressed his chest and chin against the glass. That was bizarre even for him.

I usually left the shower door open a few inches since both cats liked to stick their head in the door. I don't get it, but they did. One day after rinsing off shampoo, I turned around and dman near screamed. There was Rudy sitting like a prince on the shower seat just watching the whole regime.

The Drinkwell fountain was a great hit with Rudy. He played in the fountain, in the "pond" turned the valve which regulated the flow, all the splashing all over. I had to clean up after with a couple bath towels. I believe he did that just so the reservoir would fill the "pond". It was really good when I'd put ice cubes in it, and he could bounce them around. The reservoir absolutely fascinated him. It would glurge big bubbles. He like the glurge so much that he wrapped his front legs around the reservoir. He would then shake it for all he was worth to make the bubbles appear. I was scared he would knock it over and I'd have to mop the entire floor from the spill. That was one of his odd behaviors that I was glad he outgrew.

Rudy's Avatars

Rudy was a party animal. He loved people at our house, and gatherings of anipals. He wasn't fussy. His absolute favorite thing to do was barktend at #pawpawties. Ladies were his favorite to serve. He'd get out a white towel for his forearm, and deliver the drink on a lace doily. That cat was class.

One of his favorite barktending shifts was working with @BuzzLucas. Rudy was serving @CaplinRous some hay. Buzz told him there was some behind the bar. Rudy looked at it, and it became obvious some anipals had been "rolling" in it the previous night. The 2 of them quickly got rid of the hay, and made sure that Caplin got fresh.

Here are some of his avatars. Enjoy!

Little things Part 3

Rudy was a party animal. He loved people, and especially those who visited the house for meetings. If there was a meeting, he felt that he should be the center of it all. He would jump into the middle of the table and lay on the meeting notes. No matter how many times I'd pick him up and toss him off, he insisted he was the hottest thing in cat fur and needed to be included in the meeting.

Art and Rudy had a morning ritual. Art would pour a glass of milk, and Rudy would drink it. Even if Art covered the glass, Rudy would knock off the newspaper and drink the milk. Art got angry every morning.

Clawing carpets was not just sport, but a religion with Rudy. Not even a spray water bottle would disuade him from his favorite past time. He would just look at me when I squirted him as if to say, "and you want me to do what?".

We have a claw foot bathtub, nice and deep. Rudy would jump in it and play with something, never knew what it was, but he obviously did.

Rudy chased Maggie a lot, not that she minded. When they ran through the house, nothing was safe. Paper would fly, lamps got knocked over. One Saturday morning, we heard a big crash. My chair got knocked over.

TV Armoire

The armoire held a fascination for Rudy. He discovered it when I hid some feather toys. He found that he could stick his front leg through the wire hole in the back, and make all kinds of noise. He could spend hours behind the piece, doing god knows what. Maggie and Rudy chased each other behing the armoire and had "fights". They never pulled out any wires, thank god!

One day I saw him contemplating the top of the armoire. It was a matter of time before he figured out how to become king of the mountain. He would jump from the table on the other side of the doorway, saling up with the grace of a young muscular cat. He could spend hours there, snoozing and watching his people.

Rudy and Drinking Glasses

At work, I have to use a covered glass for safety purpose. I feel silly, as though I have an adult sippy cup, but you gotta do what you gotta do. So, when I got home, I longed to drink out of glass. It is a whole senses experience - the cool, smooth glass, visual perception of the cool liquid, sound of the ice cubes, and the tingling of carbon dioxide hitting your nose.

I had just poured myself a delicious Diet Coke with Rudy watching the whole process. I turned my back, and heard a glass falling over. I knew it had to have been him, but he was so innocent. I hoped it was just an isolated incident, curiosity about the carbonation.

It turned out that it wasn't a curiosity about carbonation. Rudy was determined to knock over every glass, mug, can, bottle that I drank from, and his target was ME, no one else. He soaked the bed and rug in the middle of the night, poured drinks into my class papers, he was a total disaster. I had to give up glass glasses. And, I had to resort to adult sippy cups.

The other day I reached for my adult sippy cup and it hit me he was gone. I could drink out of glass again. However, I am sitting here with my sippy cup and tears in my eyes. Nazdravi, Rudy

Rudy and the Julie Dog

Julie the Dog thinks she rules the house. She needs to control everything the cats do, what they and do how they do it. Controling a cat in Julie language is you bark at the cat till it runs, and then you chase barking the whole time. Rudy never ran, never blinked when the dog barked at him. He would just keep doing what he was doing even when the dog was about 6" from his face. Confounded that dog to no end. Rudy just didn't care what the dog had to say.

Rudy like to play with dog toys. I mean, they were much more his size. His favorite was the tennis ball. Talk about annoying the crap out of the dog. That would really start a jealous barking frenzy. I know Rudy played with the ball on purpose.

Julie and Rudy were friends. Rudy would rub against Julie and let her sniff butt. Maggie and Buster won't do that. Julie let Rudy sleep in her chair, especially his last few days. Julie and Rudy had an odd relationship, but it worked.

Rudy and Toes

Rudy didn't cuddle much, but he liked to be in bed with us. I tried very hard not to play "bed monster" since his claws were sharp and his paws powerful. For some reason he decided that chomping on Art's toes in the middle of the night was a good thing to do. I have to say that I got chomped on as well, but Rudy preferred Art's big old size 14's. I thought it was hilarioius, but Art didn't. Art tends to worry a lot, and he'd worry most of the way through the night whether or not he'd get chomped, then worry the rest of the night that he did get chomped. No matter what Art did or didn't do, Rudy still ate the toes. It had gotten to a point that it was either find Rudy a new home, or get a new husband.

I miss him curled up next to me, the weight of his body. Sometimes I think I still feel Rudy against my legs.

Pet Store Blues

Rudy never played with typical cat toys. They were too small; his paw was bigger than the toy. You can see how out of proportion George the Duck's cousin, Ducktor Wu, is. Rudy liked tennis balls and all of the dog's toys. Any time I went into a pet store I looked for a good sized toy for rabbit kicking.

Today I went into a pet store to get a can of dog food. Without thinking, I headed straight for the Christmas merchandise since stuffed bone caught my eye. I reached for the toy, and then it occurred to me that I don't need to look for a Maine Coon Rudy sized toy again.

Little Things Part 2

The first day, Rudy walked right into the middle of the room. The dog started barking at him and Rudy tried to rub against the dog. The dog looked at the cat as if to say, "why aren't you running?" Yes, Rudy had arrived.

When he arrived, he looked cross eyed. Actually, his snout was too narrow. As he grew, his head broadened. Finally, he was no longer cross eyed.

It's the little things I miss

Rudy's mom again, remembering.

Rudy would meet me at the door when I cam home from work. He'd run into the kitchen, jump on the counter, sliding, and clearing everything in his path. It was then officially dinner time. He ate on a plate at my right hand, Maggie on my left, and Buster on the floor.


It is difficult to go to bathroom. I never had privacy. In the middle of the night, Rudy would appear out of nowhere, put himself between the door and me, and not let me leave until he was done being petted, scratched, returning the loving with love nips. Once he got excited and bit me quite hard. I developed celulitis and had to take antibiotics. Gotta love him!

George Worked his Magic!

Down on the Farm and Halloween Pawpawtys

Rudy at his Best

I helped supervise Christmas Cookies!

Stages of Grief

Rudy's mom here guest writing.
This has been one whale of a ride! yesterday Rudy was going to have his teeth cleaned. 7:40 the vet called to tell me the news about his renal failure. The stages of grief started immediately.

- Shock/Disbelief and Denial; Not my beautiful red boy, not my 2 year old, he has to have bad teeth.
- Anger; why me. why have I had the fortune to have 2 red boys with renal failure; and a total break down into sobs
- Bargaining and Guilt; You knew something was wrong,, you should have been more forceful
- Depression; totally numb.

Finally my logical brain kicked in and made me realize that Rudy's health is what it is all about, his comfort, his pain level. there is nothing that can be done for him due to the unusual condition. The best is to give him one last weekend, donate his body so that they can learn more about his condition, and give Maggie and Buster all the love they need while they grieve. I have now reached:
- Acceptance and Hope