It’s been nearly 3 weeks, and I thought that since I’ve managed to stop bursting into tears at the very idea of him, I could finally tell you all a bit about one of the loves of my life. I’m writing this with the biggest lump in my throat and every part of me fighting off tears.
A little over three years ago our cat Bingley, while we lived above Shana’s old bakery, got hit by a truck. We knew the risks involved with having outdoor cats, but we also know how happy our cats are outdoors with the freedom to explore. So having outdoor cats, you know the risks, but it still doesn’t change how devastating it is when you lose an animal that way. I swore I’d never get a cat to replace him, he was my first true love in a pet. I’m not going to go on and on about Bing, because this post isn’t about him, just know that he was a seriously fantastic cat and I still miss him.
Naturally, a few weeks after Bingley’s death, after swearing to never get another cat, where did I end up? The humane society, the place where you go to be bombarded by the mass amount of cats that all want you to take them home. Don’t I wish I could. But in the swarm of cats, I decided to sit down, and up walked this furball of absolute preciousness who plopped right in my lap and looked up at me like “what are you waiting for?” - It was Canon. So I told the woman helping me that he was who I wanted, and almost at once, in a sentence that was really more like a single word, the woman spewed out “oh, take his brother too! he’s the only one left in the litter and we’ll give you them both as a two for one!” and there he was.
Tinee. This little runt of a cat who no human could ever say no to. He was so little and adorable and they were BROTHERS, for god’s sake, how could you split them up?
This is exactly how I pitched it to Shana when I arrived at home with not one, but two kittens. But she’s human after all, so she naturally couldn’t say no either.
From the moment we brought him home I was in love with him. He had the most endearing meow, he learned how to “high five”, and snuggled better than Shana ever could. He loved ice cream and to be outside more than anything. We’d always find him on the stoop of our doorstep, waiting for us to come out on our editing breaks and rub his belly. He’d go on our walks with the dogs, we called him our little adventure catdog. He’d wait for us in the driveway when we’d come home. He wouldn’t just lick you, but bathe you if he thought you needed it. He’d watch The X Files with me when Shana wouldn’t. He’d always make sure we knew that it was time to wake up and love him. He often did this scream meow, which for anyone who knew him, easily translated to “pay attention to me now.”
Any person who met him loved him immediately.
Labor Day seemed like any other day in the Love + Perry household. I woke up to find both Tinee and Canon, snuggling at our feet. Tinee, upon realizing I was finally awake, jumped up to come lick me with his sandpaper tongue. I headed to the bathroom, where he followed to give me some additional toilet loving. I got dressed and ready to head out to the grocery store, wanting to get it out of the way early. Tinee followed me outside, it was gorgeous out, and that was the last time I ever saw him alive.
So much for being able to write this without becoming a blubbering mess.
Shana called me about a half an hour into my grocery store trip. I won’t drag this part of the story out, because it’s sad and I don’t want this to be all sad. He was such a happy cat, I wouldn’t do him justice by being all sad about him the whole time. But Shana called, telling me I needed to come home, and I just knew. She had been on the phone with a client and had watched him chase a chipmunk right into the tire of a truck. How she has ever been able to deal with that image, I don’t know. I know it’s for me. She dealt with everything I never could. We buried him in a clearing at the edge of the woods next door, right in a place where the sun shines through the trees at a certain time of day.
I don’t know how you can become so attached to your animals. To us, they’re just another member of our family. A constant source of love and affection and giant pains in our asses. So like Bingley, Tinee was another love of my life, and losing a love like that twice has left a giant hole in my heart. I know it get’s easier, that’s the only thing I’m glad to have gained from doing this before.
I will always love and miss this cat, my go to model, my adventure cat, my Tine.
But wait! This story has a much happier part two. Bruiser. Coming soon.