to jasper

he was an elderly cat we brought home from the crazy cat ladies' cat rescue of streatham. he lived for years with an elderly woman who died leaving him homeless. at the rescue, there were some large former strays who picked on him so he spent most of his time hidden in the garden that was covered in chicken wire or under a bed.

the first week he spent with us he stayed under the couch except at night when he would pee on the futon and then come into the bedroom to make chirrupy noises. eventually he began to use the litter box with more regularity although there were still lapses, that we now know were caused by the kidney failure.

he would sleep in the bed with us and lay between our legs on the sofa while we watched tv. even though he was an old man (probably around 12) he still liked to play and would chase after bits of yarn and paper.

this is the last picture we took of him, just a couple of days before we had to have him put to sleep. it was probably the last time he ever managed the jump up to the sofa. he'd just come home from the vet where i'd been told that there was nothing we could do save for a shot of vitamins and rehydration. when he wouldn't eat any of the turkey i made for our thanksgiving party that weekend i knew he was probably through.

he was a sweet old man with his bird noises and his cuddles. i wish we had known earlier how sick he was, we would have been more understanding about his issues with the litter box. but i'm glad he was with us for his last few months, it got him away from the crazy cat ladies and the mean thug cats. even if his death did lead to the great spiritual crisis of ought 6. but that's another entry for another time.

this is about jasper, i wish i could have known him longer.