Death of a best friend

It is with extreme sadness that I report the death of my cat Moe. He died somewhere between 0030 hr and 0115 hr this morning. As near as I can determine from Emily's notes Moe entered our lives in Fall 97. I was working on a mower when this white half grown kitten appeared at the garage door and demanded entry. Claimed he lived here. Since we already had two female cats Emily and I ignored the request no matter how friendly the cat seemed.

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He didn't leave. Just sat there at our door and complained. Two days later during a rain storm we finally relented and let him in. One of our best decisions ever.

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Moe with a little adjustment soon fit right into the house and made himself completely at home.

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At one point Moe climbed to an amazing 22 pounds in weight.

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He was a superb hunter. Emily's word to describe Moe being on the trail of a mouse was 'relentless.' It's true. Over the decades I have seen him drag home for my inspection mice, moles, rabbits, snakes, birds, groundhog, and once even a tiny fawn as big as he was. During his life time there were no mice, spiders, very few flies or even grasshoppers residing in my house. A few tried, but they soon met Moe.

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Moe's attitude towards the other animals was grudging trust without taking any BS. Initially when we adopted our dog Sassy, Moe attacked it on sight (making poor Sassy run out of the room). However, once Moe realized Sassy was not hostile he accepted her and would share sleeping space with her. Whether she liked the idea or not. :)

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Both of the female cats liked him. When we adopted Herby in 04 and Herby tested Moe's authority, Moe let him know in no uncertain terms that Moe ruled the nest. After getting stitched up and returning from the animal hospital Herby never challenged Moe again and peace reigned.

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Comments (47)

How smart was Moe? I think it was back in 2009 we realized Moe had figured out how to turn our water faucets on to give himself a drink. We are thankful we had no water meter because he never bothered to turn the water off afterwards. On at least one occasion, although we couldn't prove it, we believe it was Moe who unlatched one of our window screens so he and Dust Bunny could go outside and play. As recently shown, Moe also had worked out the connection between cameras, the shutter button of my phone and printed photos and even took a selfie last month. I believe his IQ and understanding was at least that of a 7 year old human.

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I can't tell you how weird it feels to be sitting here typing this and not have him either sitting on my shoulder or napping in the bookcase alongside me or on the printer. For as long as this computer has been in this room, unless he was in the yard outside, if I was typing or sitting here, Moe would be here too. I still have Herby of course, but I think I will miss my friend Moe for a very long time to come.

Sadly Moe developed a thyroid condition and began to lose weight as older cats often do. He was getting a large dose of Methimazole twice a day, but he still kept losing weight. He remained active right up to his last day. He had developed a fondness for the female cat on the next farm and more than once if he didn't come back home after dinner, while I was worrying and wondering where he was, he was in the neighbor's barn with the female who lived there. That was okay with me.

Wednesday however I realized he had eaten no food the past 12 hours. For a cat with thyroid issues this was not good. Worse he had stopped sleeping in the bed and was now sleeping in the kitty litter instead. I talked to the vet about this and it was suggested I try baby food if needed.

Thursday there was a strong sun but with a very cold breeze. Moe found a way to soak up the sun while not getting any of the cold breeze. I had to force feed him a mix of baby food paste, water and protein powder with a syringe.

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Saturday however he began to stumble and miss some easy jumps. He had lost much weight and was down to only about 6 pounds. On Sunday he had trouble standing. Still though he wanted to go outside to play. I was now force feeding him 4 times a day.

Yesterday, Sunday, he was very bad off. He had trouble standing and tripped while walking. It was obvious his end was near. The below picture was taken yesterday morning. Sadly, it was the last time he would run anywhere. Within only a few hours he was unable to stand at all and my heart was breaking. I made a bed for him in a box lined with towels and sat with him. He still purred at my voice and my touch. I gave him a feeding at half past midnight.

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At about 1:30AM when I checked on my friend he was gone. If the creator had asked me I would have happily given my left arm or my foot to keep Moe around for another decade.

I dug a deep grave for him and I blocked it off with some 80 pound concrete sacks. I have found this necessary as something dug up our dog shortly after I had buried her even though she was 4 feet down. So when Dust Bunny and Watson died I came up with the concrete bag trick and it works.

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A fantastic Blog Ken....hug ....
Soooo sorry for the lose of your beloved cat.......sad flower crying
Sorry to hear of your loss sad flower
A wonderful tribute to your friend, Ken. So sorry sad flower
Ken,sad flower sad flower comfort hug
Ah Ken, I really enjoyed reading your blog. Sorry for your loss sad flower
Rest in peace Moe rose


You lived a wonderful life and will be missed, but one day your Daddy's sorrow will be eased by recalling all the times you spent together teddybear
Thank you all. It means a lot. The house seems so empty without him.
I lost my best friend back in July and I'm yet to recover.


I wonder if my broken heart will ever mend, my home is empty and quiet without that little guy.

He left a gaping hole in my life.
I have soft spot for cats.

I am sorry to hear for your loss. My condolence sad flower
Very sorry of your loss.sad flower
Ah, Sorry to hear that Ken, blues handshake
Nice Blog Kenthumbs up I feel for ya.sad flower
sad flower Sorry to hear of your loss Ken, My thoughts, and prayers are with you.
You take it easy there Bud,
handshake
Awww so sorry for your loss, but, would like to thank you for letting us all know just how wonderful he was, a beautiful blog, about a beautiful friend....sad flower
Omg! Ken.
I Am So Sorry! To Hear Of This. sad flower

You have Spended a lot of them with Moe. And with the other ones as well. And you were really fun of Moe. And very concerned about Moe. And Moe had been part of some of your Blogs!

You Two Really Favored Each Other!


PS. Ken, It's Going To Take One Day At A Time.

sad flower Moe, RIP!
Very sorry about your cat, What I see is that sometimes for some people is harder to loose a pet than to loose a son, dauther, father or mother.....why? probably it isn´t your case but it happens.....
Ken well done, I'm sure Moe appreciates it as he was probably looking over you're shoulder while you put it all together. My condolences and think of a name for your next cat.
sad flower
This is what I call love.
So sorry your friend has gone but great blog and tribute to a much loved kitty.hug
Ken what a beautiful story. What a connection between you and those beautiful warm cuddly pets have. My condolence and I hope you will not grieve too much.

My children always had cats and I know how playful they are. The joys they give to the whole family. teddybear sad flower sad flower
Ken

After reading this blog, I feel a deep existential sadness.
I can feel some of your pain at the loss.

Moe is somewhere out there still looking after you.
Be thankful for the joy and meaning he brought into your life.

You are a good man, Ken!
Keep up your spirit!

Take Care!
What a wonderful touching tribute to your lovely pet. Cats are beautiful animals. Sad for your loss, but perhaps you can adopt an additional cat to feel the emptiness you may feel.. bouquet bouquet bouquet
Ken. I have no words.
Ken, sorry for the loss of your beloved cat! I wanted to send this video to you!



Sorry for the typo error "fill" the emptiness you may feel.... how about looking at this youtube video the World's Best Skateboarding cat! catmantoo... IMPRESSIVE FOR A CAT! Sorry don't know how to upload: bouquet
Hello Ken,

I am sorry to hear about your loss. By the looks of it and the sounds of it, Moe had a great life once you two found each other.

RIP Moe. sad flower
Really sorry to hear this Ken,,Moe was clearly very clever and a real character..

Ive had pets all my life too and know how awful it is losing them..

Remember the good times guv,nor..
I read your tribute to your friend/buddy Moe....your words shared the love and companionship that he gave to your life. Thankfully we as people are allowed to experience such respect and love for our kindred companions that tho they are in a different form, still touch us and bring us a quality of life that is beyond measure! There is no way to completely describe the experience of loving and losing something so dear in our lives as when we have to say goodbye. You are richer for having had Moe and you gave him so many good years....maybe there will be another cat to share your home but I can truly understand that there would never be another like Moe. Life flows on and sadness can heal, gratitude for the experience with Moe can be the definition of his years with you. thumbs up hug
I read when Moe went missing and how worried you were, pal. You thought then he might have gone away to die. Better, if sadder, this way. handshake
What a wonderful obituary! Thank you for sharing, I feel you.
I do believe in reincarnation and I'm looking forward to be reunited with my cat and dogs. I doubt I'll have any again in this life - too painful to loose such special souls.
Sorry to hear about Moe , Kensad flower


Pets become part of the family and when they die, we lose a little bit of ourselves.


They leave good memories though bouquet
Very sad, pets are best friends!
Kenhug

for Moesad flower
It was a great cat, which accompanied you so long time.
ken
So sorry to hear about Moe...what an exceptional cat indeed...take care...sad flower hug
-amasing cat, living a good life. thumbs up
Jens came on my porch when he was just a kitten, not bigger than my hand. He has taken over the house and become a great comfort in daily life.
Thats what cats does, if we let them in.handshake
As I said: cats are hard creatures, and so am I obviously....

sad flower

hole

joy

santa waving
I am so sorry for your loss. You came a long way together. hug
Thanks. Hey Jim, I enjoyed that video. I think maybe he would have liked hearing it too. :)

In some ways thanks to the power of blogs I feel that Moe has had a funeral with over 400 people coming to pay their respect. I view myself as being just the family member left behind. We morphed together. Over almost 2 decades he morphed from being just a pet to being a fully trusted companion and a friend. I have given it a lot of thought and decided that his selfie is probably the best capture of the relationship that grew between us after my wife passed. Two friends chilling.

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The other day someone asked me, why was I smoking in the picture? The answer is because he didn't tell me he was going to take a photo until he did it.
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