A eulogy written by Chad...
Hi All,
I am sad to report that April 10th, 2008, we lost our "angel with fur", Fidel. His fibrosarcoma had progressed to a state of discomfort, so yesterday, he was euthanized in the comfort of his home. Megan was able to locate a very nice individual by the name of Dr. Laura Chang to do this service.
I've told this story many times, but it seems like just yesterday that I was at Jason Rutgers' house shortly after he'd asked me to take one of his many cats home. I just had moved into my first apartment on Lovell Street after nursing school, and I stopped over to Jason's house for a reason I can no longer recall. I do remember being in the bathroom with the door closed, thinking I was in the basement all by myself, when the door handle suddenly turned...and the door opened with me in the midst of urination. Imagine my shock when I saw Fidel standing at the doorway. I nearly peed on his wall, I was laughing so hard.
Fidel was named after Jason and I had watched the "Witches of Eastwick" with Jack Nicholson- he didn't have a name for the shiny, sleek black cat at the time. In one scene, Jack Nicholson speaks about his butler: "Fidel's all thumbs with these things." I believe that night, his name became Fidel.
I can hardly imagine that he'd been with me since 2000. We've had our ups and downs (one time in particular stands out, when he looked at me and urinated on my bivy sack- I hadn't been that mad in a long time). The last few years have been wonderful, and after we let him finally become an indoor-outdoor cat, he really came into his own. He was much happier, and we have many of our best pictures of him sitting on the back fence watching the squirrels (he was a great hunter- he actually caught a big one and brought it home, as well as a big mouse). We always felt bad for the animals he caught, but made sure that we never scolded him- I believe that he s imply felt that he was doing his part to keep the house safe. And I'm sure the birds were giving him great applause, for that squirrel had stolen much of their food.
Hi All,
I am sad to report that April 10th, 2008, we lost our "angel with fur", Fidel. His fibrosarcoma had progressed to a state of discomfort, so yesterday, he was euthanized in the comfort of his home. Megan was able to locate a very nice individual by the name of Dr. Laura Chang to do this service.
I've told this story many times, but it seems like just yesterday that I was at Jason Rutgers' house shortly after he'd asked me to take one of his many cats home. I just had moved into my first apartment on Lovell Street after nursing school, and I stopped over to Jason's house for a reason I can no longer recall. I do remember being in the bathroom with the door closed, thinking I was in the basement all by myself, when the door handle suddenly turned...and the door opened with me in the midst of urination. Imagine my shock when I saw Fidel standing at the doorway. I nearly peed on his wall, I was laughing so hard.
Fidel was named after Jason and I had watched the "Witches of Eastwick" with Jack Nicholson- he didn't have a name for the shiny, sleek black cat at the time. In one scene, Jack Nicholson speaks about his butler: "Fidel's all thumbs with these things." I believe that night, his name became Fidel.
I can hardly imagine that he'd been with me since 2000. We've had our ups and downs (one time in particular stands out, when he looked at me and urinated on my bivy sack- I hadn't been that mad in a long time). The last few years have been wonderful, and after we let him finally become an indoor-outdoor cat, he really came into his own. He was much happier, and we have many of our best pictures of him sitting on the back fence watching the squirrels (he was a great hunter- he actually caught a big one and brought it home, as well as a big mouse). We always felt bad for the animals he caught, but made sure that we never scolded him- I believe that he s imply felt that he was doing his part to keep the house safe. And I'm sure the birds were giving him great applause, for that squirrel had stolen much of their food.
He was also known for having a sense of when we weren't feeling well. Many times, he laid on Megan's chest when she was under the weather, and gave Luella baths regularly. He also, of course, had a knack for opening doors, so that was his way of letting us know it "was time to eat"- he would slam the door of our bedroom at 4am as a regular occurrence. Then, the usual conversation on the way to the food cupboard would begin. Me: "Meow" Him: "Meow." Me: "Meow?" Him: "Meow!" Fidel occupied a big space in the house for such a little guy, and he is already sorely missed. Megan had begun collecting a list of his characteristics, loves, and quirks, and I hope to post them to my blog soon
Fidel was, at my best guess, around ten or eleven years old, with him being probably two years old when he took ownership of me. He is survived by two heartbroken parents, Megan and Chad, Luella (his housemate, whom he would always let have her way), and a plethora of orphan kitties who were saved by Jason Rutgers- some of which now reside today with Mark Morris. May Fidel rest in peace, and suffer no longer.
For all of you who have a special buddy at your feet, or on your lap as you read this...give them an extra scratch behind the ears, for it seems like our little buddies are with us here for such a short time. I learned lessons from Fidel that I'd never be able to learn from any human.
Best Regards,
Chad
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