Beastie Boy is Ready
as if to introduce himself. This did not go over well with Fuzzball, or any of the others for that matter. For the next few weeks, he tried to ingratiate himself into the fold but was met with the frequent hiss, occasional swipe, and constant growl. His persistence paid off, however, and eventually he was granted access.
The years swept by and Beastie Boy developed his distinct personality trait. He liked to yell. Loud, low meows at anyone and anything. When he was wrestling with one of the others, he yelled. Whenever Meeko, our dog, passed by, he yelled. When he was hungry, he yelled. When he was picked up, he yelled. "What a grump!" Jillian would say.
He also didn't like for anyone to stop petting him until granted his permission. If one dared to stop petting him before this was given, one were rewarded with a swipe as you took your hand away. The kids eventually learned to pet him on his head only, giving them an edge on removing their hands before he could reach them.
Beastie Boy also developed the habit of waking me up in the morning by hitting me in the face with his paw. He had decided that the crack of dawn was the appropriate time for some attention and was determined to get it.
I first noticed something was amiss when I realized he was losing weight. He was a big cat, 16 pounds, hence also being known as "Fat Boy." He WAS losing, however. Soon we were calling him "Thin and Trim Boy." Carolyn came over one day and commented on how much weight he had lost. Thoughts of Koki flashed through my mind. "Oh, please, God," I silently prayed. "Not another diabetic cat."
I took him to the vet soon after and he underwent some tests. The good news was that it was not diabetes, Steve said. The bad news was that it was his kidneys. He also explained that nothing could be done. I was heartbroken. Steve told me to take him home and make him comfortable. A year went by and the weight continued to slowly come off. He went back to the vet periodically for check-ups. Steve remarked that he seemed to be doing well, however his kidneys were smaller after each check-up. One day, he will just be ready, he said. That's how fast kidney disease works.
He was right. The
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