Kai was a one-in-a-million cat. EVERYBODY who met Kai fell in love, or at least like. Even people who didn’t care for cats would say to me before leaving our home, “I don’t like cats, but I like THAT cat”. He was everyone’s friend. Unlike many cats, Kai always came out to see any person who ever entered the house. There was no hiding or peeking around corners for Kai. Nope, he was greeting houseguests right away. Hello! Hello! Hello! Welcome to our home, how are you!? He would slowly slither around ankles and legs, eventually hopping up on couches and chairs to get a better look. He didn’t meow at you or make a fuss, he was just a friendly presence.
Our Own Mini Panther
Kai was our “mini-panther”, found discarded on the street as a teensy tiny baby kitty. He was a gorgeous 100% solid black with intense green/yellow eyes. From itty-bitty kitty he grew to be a MIGHTY BIG BOY, topping the scales at 18+ lbs at his prime. As a young cat, he could beat out the best Olympian in Da Bird games, and as he settled into middle-age, he was a gold medal winner in napping.
Kittens, Dogs & Puppies, Oh My!
Kai endured the introduction of three kittens to his life, a dog, and a PUPPY, of all things. And he never got too ruffled about any them. Mostly he would ignore the kittens, maybe get a little grumpy for a few days, but once he realized he probably had a new snuggle buddy he was good to go. The dog he never batted an eye at. In fact, the dog was a little wary of him! But what dog wouldn’t be unsure of a black monster slinking around and staring at you and even taking over your bed !? Getting used to a puppy was a bit more complicated. As they both aged, they learned to live with each other and even were known to snuggle in the same bed.
Illness
Kai was always robust and healthy until he reached his later years. At about 15 years old he started having some limping issues. We tried to address the limping, and over time he started to slow down. A year or two later, he got extremely ill out of nowhere and spent 10 days at the veterinary hospital. He had a massive kidney failure, but we managed to get him to turn the corner and battled it for another three years before multiple ailments finally managed to get the best of him.
Our Best Buddy
But even until the very end, he was THERE. In the bathroom? Yes. In the kitchen? Yes. In the living room? Yes. Did you have food? YES! For the last three years of his life, he spent a lot of time sleeping in the bathroom. This was born of the fact that we fed him in the bathroom during his years with kidney disease and trying to get him to NOT be in the bathroom was tough. But occasionally he would find new places to sleep for a while: surprising us by deciding to sleep on the couch all the time. Or out-of-nowhere sleeping up on the bed at night when he hadn’t for a year or more. One month, he decided he would sleep in the dog’s bed – whether the dog was in it or not. Kai was always making us laugh with these occasions.
Missing Kai
I miss him most at odd times, like when we have pizza night, and he’s not there to share in the cheese with the dog. I still look for him. I miss his meows when he thinks he should be fed (all the time), and I miss seeing him snuggled up to our other two cats. And it took a couple months for me to get used to not seeing his black silky body snoozing in the office or bathroom.
I’m so thankful to have had such a great kitty family member for such a long time – he lived a solid 18 years. One can’t ask for much more than that.
Kai 2002-Aug 2020
