Obituary

Leo Cat

?? – April 25, 2007

Leo Cat, dearly loved by some and quite frankly feared by many, died on April 25, 2007. He is survived by his owner who will miss him terribly.

Leo’s precise age is unknown but it is assumed he lived a long life; it is a very comforting fact to know that he lived a good one. He spent his first 10 or so years happily sitting on his first owner’s lap, watching television and keeping him company, terrorizing the neighborhood in his spare time. Dogs, other cats, the mailman ….. all feared to cross the path of this big bruiser. But their fear was unwarranted and quite silly as Leo the Lion was a “live and let live” kind of guy. If you behaved yourself and respected his space, Leo would greet you with a rub of his head, his big heart purring loudly. Trouble only ensued if you approached him in some other disrespectful manner.

His first owner died of pancreatic cancer in 1999 and that’s when Leo Cat came to live with his present owner … the daughter of his first owner. Leo developed pancreas problems of his own in 2000 when he was diagnosed with diabetes, needing insulin shots twice daily since that time. Sadly and ironically, Leo also developed pancreatic cancer which ended his life as well.

Leo loved to eat. Shrimp was his all-time favorite. He had a life-long addiction for watching television which broadened to include the computer monitor. Watching birds, squirrels and other backyard critters occupied his days as he got older. He always loved hearing his name because that’s when he got a glint of the realization that he was something separate, individual and unique. He went ga-ga if you told him he was a “good boy”. He'd prance about so excited as if he knew what a big compliment that was. He purred himself to death when his long hair was brushed. And no matter how good or bad he felt, no matter how late the hour was, he always, always met his owner at the door when she came home.

Leo spent his last day home by the window snoozing under the effect of pain meds, but looking out to the goings-on in his backyard every chance he could get. He ate the teeniest bit of shrimp because the tumor was pressing in on his stomach. His owner brushed him constantly and told him he was indeed a very good boy. In fact, he was held and brushed right up to the moment the euthanasia injection ended his pain. “Good boy” was the last thing he heard.

Leo Cat … a really good boy with a very big heart. He will be sorely missed. There is already a huge, empty spot by his owner's front door.