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December 28, 2004

A Tribute to Skootr

Cheery Chee. Littlest Girl. Baby Girl. Skooter Pie. Those were some of her nicknames. She came into this world to our landlady's cat, a black and white kitty, who's name I've forgotten. They called us over to see the babies and we said, "When can we have the gray one?" Their eyes weren't even open yet. We got "the gray one" a few weeks later, too soon, really, as she wasn't weaned as much as she should have been. I remember getting her on my birthday in 1989, right before going to see Honey I Shrunk the Kids. I was worried that the other two cats would eat her while we were at the movies. She terrorized them and tortured them. We came home to find them cowering in fear on the bed.

Skootr is not a typo. We named her that with that spelling. I loved things spelled with just an "R" at the end. Like Liquid PlumR. Love that. So we named her Skootr for all the dragging around she did of herself to sneak up on things and spelled it my favorite way.

Oh, but she was a he then.

I had never had a kitten before so had no idea what He kittens looked like vs. She kittens. Marc said he was a he. For six months, Skootr was my Little Baby Boy. Then I took "him" to get neutered. The clinic lady reached into the box and groped around. "Your cat has already been neutered." I laughed at her. Idiot, I thought. She then said, "Well, actually, your cat is female." Yep. Sure enough. Skootr is a girl.

I remember in the earthquake that October, we thought Skootr was under the big heavy bookshelf. Marc lifted it single-handedly, but she was hiding under the bed with the rest of the kitties. Later that month, when we were moving from one apartment to another, Skootr escaped and ran under the sofa in the lobby. I, to this day, have not seen anything or anyone move that fast. She was a terror.

Over the years, she's slowed down, but she still had that edge to her. She just was always on the rampage. We got Jones when she was two so that she would have someone to play with and maybe give her a run for her money. They loved each other, but really, it was like she thought, "Oh thank God you got a kitten! All this running around entertaining you was wearing me out. I'm gonna go nap and eat now. Have fun."

Jack came a few years back and I don't think he and Skootr had much of a relationship, except that of old auntie and her young nephew who constant tried to get her to play with him. He loved her so and she just stood there yawning at him. But I think she knows that he is her family, too. All of us are. Even the hideous baby we brought home in September 2002. The baby who has grown into a touching, poking, pulling toddler. "Nose. Ear. Foot." They were named and touched, poked and pulled. And Skootr took it like a trooper.

Skooter never really liked to cuddle, unless it was on her terms. She came to you, you pet her, she was happy, drooled and then she went to eat. In those early months, Skootr slept on my head. Well, on my pillow, but wrapped around my head like a hat. She would get hungry every 4 hours and wake me up by "making bread" and drooling all over my chest. I'd get up and feed her milk and baby food. All the way through Saturday (Christmas) she would drool whenever she was pet. Saturday she stopped purring and drooling. Yesterday morning we took her and had her put to sleep. She was old and tired and very sick. It was time. She was only going to get worse.

Jones has taken to mewing through the house. Neither he nor Jack ate all their breakfast this morning, which, while normal for Jack (playing is more fun), it is not normal for Jones.

We will miss her so much. She's been part of our every day for so long and such a big personality in such a little thing.

So Skootr, my Littlest Girl, sleep well. Momma loves you.

Posted by Debbie at December 28, 2004 12:44 PM

Comments

Posted by: Brenda at December 30, 2004 06:06 AM