Hoover Leslie, domestic short haired cat, ?/?/1991 - 7/28/2005. Rest in Peace.

Hoover's last day was spectacularly beautiful -- warm, but not too hot, not humid for what seems like the first time this summer, sunny with little shreds of clouds -- but by today it was clear she had very little left in her. The Veterinary Emergency Clinic and her excellent doctor Doug Mason welcomed her back for the last time. After more than a year of bi-weekly chemotherapy visits, it was familiar ground for her and she did not seem alarmed. With a smooth needle injection she passed away peacefully and without pain, with a final tiny chirp.

Anne and I will miss her. Life with Hoover was not always easy -- never one to suffer indignity lightly, often painfully paranoid and not a cuddly, friendly cat -- but she had style, poise and a calm, competent demeanor which comforted me through the many ups and downs in the last 10 years. The biggest shock for her in that time was moving in with Anne and, particularly, Scottie, our other cat, a gentle eunuch two years her senior. After a successfully staged get-to-know-you period involving closed glass doors, she and Scottie became, well, not friends, but mutually respectful old folks with firmly established rules and roles. I'm sure Scottie will miss her, though he's been living the high life at Grandma's for the last couple of weeks so he's missed all the excitement.

When Hoover was diagnosed with cancer last year we feared we would lose her immediately, but in fact for most of the year her chemotherapy appointments did in fact give her back a pretty normal life. We quickly got into a routine, every other Wednesday, of cab rides to the VEC in the morning, and home together in the evening. The doctors, assistants and technicians at the VEC were always friendly and welcomed her every time.

I miss my cat, and life without her won't be the same. But the cat I miss the most was Hoover at a teen, full of energy, spirit and health. I will remember her like that.
posted by Tom at 5:08 PM | link |