Saturday, June 5, 2010

Kermit Finn: June 1991 - June 2010

I’ve written this post many times in my head, but never knew when I would post it. After nineteen wonderful years, Kermit passed away today.

He was born to a feral cat in my back yard before I was married. I took him and his siblings in; he competed for attention for many years, though he outlasted them all.

He enjoyed a successful career as a Master Mouser, but retired when he learned he had kidney failure about six years ago. Not content to relax and enjoy his retirement, he took part-time employment doing security detail against intruders, with equal success, in our back yard on summer nights.

To look at his rather thick chart at the vet’s office, one could see he had the best vet team (Knapp Veterinary Hospital) in the world. He had better healthcare than my husband and I enjoy, we would joke. We applaud all of the doctors he saw there for contributing to his long and happy life.

We often had to board him during the holidays when we had to travel. He was something of a celebrity at the veterinary hospital, wooing male and female doctors and receptionists alike. The first time we dropped him off, Kermit was greeted warmly by all the vet techs. But we learned how talkative he could be when we picked him up days later. The young woman at the front desk would call into the loud speaker, “Kermit Finn for pick-up please.” with an urgency that suggested they’d heard enough of his stories. Once in the car, he would croak rather than meow, indicating that he’d exhausted his vocal chords.

But Kermit lowered the blood-pressure of everyone he met by simply walking into the room. He was my blogging buddy, sitting on my lap through every post. He used to wake me up every morning by gently pulling at my eyelids, which I will miss.

He was simply the sweetest cat ever, and we loved him.

6 comments:

Chris said...

My sincere condolences, Rita.

Rita Finn said...

Thank you, Chris. That does mean a lot to me.

Courtney Kilmartin said...

Tom and I share your sadness... so BEAUTIFULLY expressed. Your love & joy at knowing such a blessed creature - who by no accident chose to call you home for these many years - was truly a partnership made in heaven. As we trust it to be - a Soul you will see again... with a joy greater than before.

Our love and deepest sympathy to you both...

Courtney & Tom

Rita Finn said...

Courtney & Tom,
Your words are such a solace. You understand the loss of such a special creature, and you called it right when you say that he called us home.

Thank you for your kindness,
John & Rita

Anonymous said...

Oh Rita! I know there is nothing anyone can say that will help but know that you are loved and we would take the pain away if we could. I know in my heart and soul that he waits for you in heaven for you to see him again a very long time from now. We will miss our nephew deeply!

Love Diane & Louis

Anonymous said...

He was an amazing animal who touched all who were lucky enough to know him! I enjoyed him immensely during my visits. My heart goes out to you during this time. He was truly one-of-a-kind, and you were the very best thing that ever happened to him. You were both very lucky to have each other. He will be sorely missed but can never ever be forgotten.

Love,
Shannon

Share this with the world

Bookmark and Share