The Best Cat in the World

To be honest, I thought Poppy would live forever. Didn't we all?

At 9:30 pm on October 25th, Popcorn went peacefully to the Bridge on our bed, wrapped in his infamous “bed throw,” and helped along by Dr. Jon, our very compassionate vet. My husband Jerry and I enveloped Popcorn with our bodies as he passed, and because Popcorn’s life was an extraordinary gift he gave to us, his beautiful passing was our gift to him.

I wish you could have known my Popcorn. Really have known him. Some of you might be familiar with Cleveland Amory’s “The Cat Who Came for Christmas” trilogy. The last book is called, “The Best Cat Ever,” and I remember reading it long before Poppy was diagnosed, knowing that among all of my cats past and present, Popcorn deservedly earned that title. There was no doubt in either Jerry’s or my mind that Popcorn was “THE BEST CAT EVER.” At the time, Popcorn was a healthy cat who was continuously getting into mischief. As my other kitties were doing their cat thing (sleeping, eating, ignoring the world), Popcorn was out and about going from one adventure to the next. This cat was famous around the neighborhood for his friendliness and funny antics. Everyone knew him by name, and even the UPS driver would stop and ask about him! Particularly amusing for Popcorn was his special knack for seeking out cat haters and people with allergies as objects of his affections. He could spot them in a second and before you knew it, Popcorn was pouncing in their laps. I think he was responsible for converting many to the joys of feline companionship.

Popcorn loved to climb the highest trees, burrow in the snow, and open doors – particularly bathroom doors when guests were in compromising positions. We ended up having to change all of the doorknobs in our home.

When Popcorn was diagnosed with diabetes in February of 1998, it came as a major blow to us. Those of you who remember those early days will recall how sick he was and how impossible it was to control his numbers. Suddenly, our once hyperactive kitty was lethargic and miserable. We also knew his outside playtime days were over. At first this wasn’t a problem as he didn’t feel well enough for his daily hour adventure on the outside. But as he became stronger, his verbal demands to see the world became more vociferous, and keeping him in was a nightmare. Luckily, we moved into our new home shortly thereafter and converted our third garage into a carpeted kitty room with access to a very large fenced in outside “run” complete with a toy-filled cat tree. I wouldn’t move into the new house until this project was completed, but wouldn’t you know, Popcorn could care less about it. He just wanted to hunt, so we found realistic looking rubber lizards to strategically place in the cat area. This actually worked and Popcorn would regularly bring his “prizes” into the house and drop them on our bed or the kitchen counter, meowing his special hunter prideful sound.

They say that black cats have some measure of Siamese in their ancestry. This couldn’t be truer with Popcorn. Popcorn was a talker of the highest caliber. He could carry on complete conversations, and by his tone and inflections, you always seemed to know what he wanted. And until the CRF, food is really what he wanted most of all. Restricted to two meals per day to help control his bgs, Popcorn found a way to sneak food any way he could manage. There was the day we found a package of hamburger buns on the floor with clean holes eaten out of the middle of each round. Then there was the Swheat Scoop fiasco some of you will remember. For weeks we couldn’t understand why his bgs were soaring when seemingly everything else remained the same. We had just changed litter brands to the Swheat Scoop, and one day my husband caught Popcorn by surprise as he was munching the litter out of the litter box. Popcorn was always a sucker for wheat products, and you had to lock yourself in another room if you wanted to eat a cracker in peace.

Losing him is beyond painful to me, but I know that he will remain alive in my heart forever or until we meet again at the Bridge. The love we have shared over these years transcends all physical reality. He is a part of my soul.

Popcorn’s many illnesses and determination to remain alive has given all of us so much information that I know will help other kitties in the future. This is his legacy and it will remain so for a long time to come. I hope he knows how very special he was and always will be.

So my precious Popcorn, the tree climbing, attention getting, avid conversationalist, bug catcher, hunter, and all around make you laugh kitty, you will always remain for us, “The Best Cat Ever.”

I love you more than words can say. You are and forever will be, my Poppy

I want to give special thanks to Hope & Baby and Patricia & Rhamu (GA). They held me up this past week, and I don’t think I could have gotten through this without them.

With love and gratitude to all of you,

Melissa & Popcorn (GA)