In 1997, we decided it was time to get a new cat. Our cat Fang had passed away some time before then and we were absent any pets.
Our vet informed us that they had acquired a kitten they named Jag. A customer had found him wandering in the woods near a woodpile and taken him into the vet’s office. The vet estimated that he was about eight weeks old.
Even as kittens go, Jag was a very gregarious cat. He insisted on playing with every other animal in the vet’s office, including the curmudgeonly office cat. It was clear that he had been taken care of by someone as he was quite friendly with people.
When Margy visited the vet to see this new kitten, they put Jag on a table in front of her. Margy had both hands on the table, which gave Jag the opportunity to race up one arm, around the back of her neck, and down her other arm back to the table. He was completely fearless and at ease with her.
Margy phoned me and said, “You have to come see this kitten.” So I left work a bit early and went to the vet’s office. Here is what I saw:
Who could say “No” to that? It didn’t take long to convince me Jag was the kitten for us. He was a fun happy little guy.
Arriving at a new home freaks out most cats. It can be a struggle just getting them to leave the carrier.
Not Jag. He bounded out of the carrier ready and raring to go. Jag ran around the room exploring every nook and cranny of his new home. He knew this was his new playground and it was party time.
You can see here how he fit in just a few days after his arrival:
Jag had a lot of fun quirks, but my favorite was how he loved to ride on my shoulder. Every morning, he parked himself at the top of the steps blocking my path when I tried to go downstairs. If I tried to step around Jag, there were plaintive cries of woe and disapproval. I had to pick Jag up, place him on my shoulder, and carry him down to the bottom of the steps.
When I came home at the end of the day, Jag would look down from the top of the steps to see if I was holding anything. If I was empty-handed, he came down the steps so I could pick him up to carry him back up the steps. If I was carrying something like the groceries, Jag would understand I wasn’t going to carry him back up and would stay upstairs. He was a smart boy.
I didn’t mind a bit.
Then there was the nosing. Jag loved to rub (more like, crush) his nose against our noses as a sign of affection. It was his form of kitty kisses.
For the most part, Jag had a happy and carefree life. The only time we saw him in obvious distress was after Boomer passed away (for more on Boomer, click here). Jag was desolate, crying out every night for his buddy. We hoped he would get over it, but after several months of this, we realized Jag needed a new companion. This prompted us to get Laptop in October of 2011:
An easy transition it was not. Jag immediatedly despised and distrusted this new interloper. Who the hell did he think he was trying to replace the irreplaceable Boomer?
For his part, Laptop wanted to be friends, but Jag was having none of it. He hissed, growled, and fought with Laptop so much that we almost re-homed Laptop.
Then, about three months after Laptop’s arrival, Jag’s mood started to shift. He finally realized that this was a new friend, not an enemy. All of the sudden, they were BFF’s.
And they got along famously from that point on.
Two years later, Jag started losing weight. At first he seemed to feel fine, but after a few weeks his condition started to worsen and it was evident that he was not feeling well. Our vet diagnosed that Jag’s kidneys were failing, which is a common problem for an elderly cat. She agreed that it was Jag’s time.
On April 7, 2013, our lovely Jag went to his final sleep. We hired a vet who performed the procedure in our home where Jag could feel as comfortable as possible. His end was blissfully peaceful and calm.
For 16 years, this cat found in the woods kept us laughing and smiling. Jag bubbled over with love his entire time on this planet. Every moment with him was a gift.
Rest well, my friend.
April 20, 2014