We adopted Ringo as a grown cat. His previous owner had been elderly, and after he had a major stroke, could no longer live at home, and the man's son-in-law was the guy we bought our bulk cat litter from. Since he knew we were cat lovers, he called and asked if we had room for one more. They didn't have any idea how old he was, nor did they know his name.
When they brought this big ginger tom to us, he hid under a bed for about two weeks until he became confident enough to sit in my mother's lap. We decided to call him Ringo, for the vivid rings on his thick tail. He soon blended in with the rest of the family.
Toby and Ringo became best buddies. (That's them on the header of this blog, Ringo on the right.) They liked to sleep on my bed with me, and Ringo took up the habit of sleeping under the covers by my legs. Great on a cold winter night, not so good in the summer!
I run a tabletop fan in the summertime, and for some reason, Ringo liked to get behind it and rub on the cage in the back. I always wondered if he liked the sound of himself purring into the fan. I'd shoo him off there, and he'd go right back.
The Big Red Cat, as he became known, loved my friend Kathryn. When she'd come to visit, he'd immediately flop onto his back for a tummy rub. She was always one of his favorite people, and he was always glad to oblige her for a tummy skritch.
Over the past year, Ringo began to go into decline, losing a lot of weight, and having very frequent problems with his sinuses. It became apparent that he must be older than we thought, probably in his upper teens. He recently started hiding for extended periods in boxes and under the bathroom sink, and he lost interest in grooming himself. A few nights ago, he sat on the kitchen counter and called almost continually for 20 minutes or so, making me feel like he was in some pain. He was a talker, but not a yowler.
This weekend, he began to throw up a lot, and sometimes it was bloody. He was peeing places he shouldn't. He was eating, but without his usual gusto, and drinking tons of water. All signs that things were going downhill quickly. I called the vet around 2pm, and made an appointment for 3:30.
We consulted with the vet, and he told us that the best we could do would be to make him comfortable, as Ringo was showing signs of his kidneys shutting down. It could be two days, two weeks, two months, but the end was near. I could not honestly let him get any further down. About a quarter of four, we said goodbye and wrapped him in a soft red blanket.
We loved you dearly, you Big Red Cat.
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