Rest In Peace Hobbit

Our beloved Hobbit had to leave us for kitty heaven today.  We are very saddened that we no longer have our long-haired pal, but we are also relieved that he is no longer sick or in pain.  He was the coolest cat ever, hands down.  And we will miss him immensely.  For those of you who don't know him, let me tell you a little bit about the big personality in the small, fluffy body.

Sit like a person tactic.

First of all, Hobbes was no ordinary cat.  I know, I know.  Everyone says that about their pets.  But in this case it was very true.  He was charming, very, very charming.  He could charm the pants off of any cat-hater around.  Ask my husband.  He fell victim to Hobbes' charisma within hours of bringing him home.  He followed Dave around the house and sat at his feet every time Dave sat down or stood still.  Dave tried to ignore the tiny little fluff-ball and insist that he was a cat-hater but Hobbes continued the charm.  Hobbes' favorite cat-hater ammunition was the "sit-like-a-person" tactic.  He used to roll back onto his haunches and let his back legs fall out in front of him.  His front paws rested on his exposed belly and his whiskered little face would just look at you as if to say, "What?  I'm just resting on my laurels.  I've had a stressful day."  And it worked.  Every time.  Dave couldn't resist.  He bent over and pet him and allowed him to sit on his lap.  Soon Hobbes became Dave's buddy.  And we came to find out that whenever someone new walked through our door Hobbes would quickly become their buddy too.

Hobbes wins Dave over.

Over the years, Hobbes became a party staple when our friends came over for drinks.  We would empty the beer boxes into the fridge and begin our evening of loud music and drinking games.  When Hobbes would find an empty beer box, he would immediately climb right in and proclaim it "His Domain."  Anyone that would attempt to move the box, reach into the box, or even walk by the box was going to get a very defensive swat from Hobbit... AKA KING OF THE BEER BOX.  He was also a very good dance partner and was often waltzed around by my girlfriends to the tunes of Ryan Adams and the Talking Heads.

Hobbes was also known to commit quite a few party fouls.  He was notorious for stealing a drink of your beer when you weren't looking and then passing out long before the party was over.  He once fell asleep on top of the refrigerator and came tumbling off of it mid-snooze.  This prompted uproarious laughter by everyone at the party and Hobbes just shook his head, licked his paws, and cuddled up to whomever would give him a comforting pat.  All of our friends would repeatedly say, "Gosh I HATE cats, but I love Hobbes."  One of our friends even came up with a theme song for when Hobbes decided to enter a room.  It was percussion mostly- a snare-like, jazzy, sort of James Bond-ish tune.  And it was perfect for Hobbit's cool-as-a-cucumber strut.

Hobbes continued to be a good sport and followed us through our multiple moves.  He was flown to and from Portland, Oregon a few times, lived at the cabin in the summers, and even served as our co-pilot on the ALCAN... twice.  He was a true team-player and only showed hostility towards us when we would leave him for long periods of time.  Of course, we always had a cat-sitter to check on him and feed him, but for Hobbit, that wasn't enough.  He needed to be with us, he longed to have his family, to have noise in the house, to receive pats on the head and to show off his dashing good looks.  He was a very social cat, you see.  He could handle change, but he couldn't live without his people.

Sara dances with Hobbes.

He was even a sweetheart to Keiser.  Sure, they fought like siblings at times, but they liked to play as well and we often caught Hobbit cleaning Keiser's ears or snuggling up to him for a nap.  We could tell that he had crossed that cats-hate-dogs line and had become Keiser's buddy too.  But the ultimate cool-as-a-cucumber test came when Dylan joined the family.  At first Hobbes was jealous and wanted to steal Dylan's blankets and sit in his baby chair.  But he soon learned to live with the fact that he was no longer the baby and decided to try to be patient with this new bald-headed, tiny human that took his place.  Dylan loved Hobbit and wanted to be his friend but, as toddlers go, he didn't understand his boundaries, and he certainly didn't understand that Hobbes didn't like to wrestle or have his tail pulled or be chased relentlessly around the living room.  But Hobbit was patient, very, very patient.  He allowed the screaming, tail-pulling, parent-stealing tot to change his life forever.  Like I said, he was no ordinary cat.  He was patient.  He was social.  He was loving, so, so loving.

Dylan and Hobbes argue over who is more handsome.

So you can understand our concern last year when Hobbit's demeanor seemed to change and we began to notice a dramatic weight loss.  We took him to the vet and found out that he was suffering from Chronic Renal Failure.  We still don't know if his condition was genetic or if he somehow got into something toxic outside.  The vet advised us to switch him to prescription food and to give him a potassium supplement.  We did and we were all pleased to see that Hobbes took to the change well and all of his protein counts went up significantly in his blood work.

During the last year he never regained his weight and never completely acted like his old self again, but his physical functions were still going strong and he was still finding daily pleasure in cuddles, treats, and hunting mice outside.  He even went as far as to bring his first mouse home as an offering to us.  I was horrified to find the poor creature lying dead on my carpet one morning.  But Hobbes was proud of his catch and I knew it was his way of providing for the family, sweet thoughtful little guy that he was.

Just waking up

It doesn't get much cuter than this.

He has always been an expert snuggler so I wasn't too surprised when for the last five nights he slept right next to me, by my head, on the pillow.  But I did notice that his food and water bowls had been left untouched for days and that I hadn't needed to clean his litter box in awhile.  I really became alarmed when I offered him his favorite treats and he simply didn't seem interested.  He used to practically bite my hand off for those treats, but yesterday he barely gazed in my direction.  I spoke to Dave over the phone while he was at work and told him that if Hobbes wasn't eating by the morning that I was calling the vet.  He said that was best and that if Hobbit wasn't doing well then I would know what to do.

This morning came and I awoke to Hobbes on my pillow.  He was quiet and snuggly, purring up a storm as usual.  But I still could not get him to eat.  I put Dylan in the car and got Hobbes' travel carrier.  I was dreading this part.  He hates his carrier.  I am usually left with scratches and bite marks after attempting to get him in it.  But today, Hobbes just looked at it.  I gently pet him and put him in the carrier.  He didn't put up a fight at all.  He didn't meow, he didn't scratch, he didn't bite.  And when we got to the vets office, he was the calmest I'd ever seen him.

The vet took his blood and, sure enough, it was as I had feared, but knew in my heart was coming.  Hobbes' kidneys were in complete renal failure.  The vet said there was no more we could do at this point and that she suggested euthanizing.  Dave and I had had this discussion several times and I knew that at this point in his illness that euthanization was the right thing to do.  So it was with a reluctant and heavy heart that I visited with Hobbit for the last time.  Dave's Aunt Lisa was kind enough to babysit Dylan for me and my niece Amanda joined me at the vet clinic for moral support.

BFF's

I brought the blanket that Hobbit had always loved and slept on.  When I put the blanket underneath him, he immediately began purring.  This comforted me as I wanted him to be as content and relaxed as possible.  Amanda and I pet him, talked to him and I told him how much of a good kitty he was to us, how he had been such a great pal these last nine years.  I told him that some of the pats were from Grandma Dorothy as she asked me to pet him for her one last time.  I held him and told him how Dave wished he could be there with him and that Hobbes had achieved the impossible... he had gotten Dave to love a cat.

When it was finally Hobbit's time, I held his head and continued to pet him and tell him I loved him and how great he was.  Mandy stayed with me every step of the way.  And when Hobbit's heart stopped beating, we were all sniffles and tears.  But Hobbes was quiet.  He went quickly and gently and looked more content and comfortable than I had seen him in a long time.  I wrapped him in his blanket and told him thank you.  The vet reassured me that he was at peace now, but she really didn't have to.  He looked more peaceful than ever and I knew that he was taking his big catnap in the sky.  And I knew that when he woke in heaven, he would be greeted by all the mice, treats, and beer-boxes that he could handle.  I hope that they play him his theme song when he arrives.