In Memoriam: Ronnie

Tonight our cat Ronnie succumbed to an illness that had weakened him severely over the course of a week. Though we knew it could end up the way it did, we were hopeful he would show improvement, as his older brother suffered the same symptoms a few weeks earlier and he recovered apparently completely. He lived. Ronnie, sadly, did not. Unwilling to eat or drink and plagued by a harsh fever and continuous bloody diarrhea, Ronnie finally died of his exhaustion early this morning.

Unlike his siblings from the same nest, Ronnie was somewhat wilder, more timid and harder to fully get to appreciate than his much more amiable and sweet-talking brothers. However, those he knew and trusted he let in completely, allowing them to pat him just as lovingly as his brothers, except he wasn't afraid to show his affection in a more violent manner by using his claws and teeth if you weren't careful. Though not the most typically affectionate cat in the household, Ronnie very much anticipated the needs of his humans, and accordingly followed his own routine perfectly in sync with theirs. He'd escort my father on his way to the bakery and made sure my mother went to bed on time. The three red cats formed a beloved part of our family, each with his own personality, completing each other perfectly. They also had formed a good bond amongst themselves, instead of aggressively disliking their siblings as is more usual among cats. Like his older brother, Ronnie was the adventurous type, and he went for much further walks than his brothers who generally stuck closer to home.

Considering this, it may not be a coincidence that the both of them caught this illness, the type of which remains unknown (but hopefully will not spread to the rest of our pets!). Like his mother and his older brother, you could often find him welcoming you home on the street after a hard day's work, even though you would prefer if he stayed in the safer confines of the backyard and alley. Also like his mother, Ronnie died of a heinous disease at much too young an age, not even seven years old yet in his case. He was in his prime and should have had many more good years to follow, but it was not to be. He will be sorely missed by us all, likely even by his brothers who will now have to play together without him. Hopefully they will be able to do so for many years to come at least.