I mentioned the other day that my sister’s beloved cat Sid died, so I thought I would throw up some pictures of him for the record. That is from above in his waning days, when he had shrunk a little from his formidable 20+ pound size.
That is a picture of Sid lying on my couch in his porn pose, and I can tell it was summer because we had him shaved down for comfort. Just look at the size of those paws!
You know where a twenty pound polydactyl cat sleeps? Wherever he wants.
I have never met a cat who had so perfectly mastered the look of contented contempt until I met Sid. While he was nothing but loving with my sisters, I always got an evil eye- until he knew I was asleep, and then he would jump up on bed and start purring. He also, surprisingly enough, got along superbly with Tunch.
My favorite Sid story, though, is the time he chased a deer out of the back yard. That cat was fearless. And these pictures really don’t do him justice, because you can’t really tell just how magnificent and beautiful he was. He will be missed.
Paddy
Big hug John and Sis.
MattF
Speaking of fearless cats, there’s Mother.
MikeJ
My duck was killed today. Not really my duck, but a wild duck that had made a nest in the bush outside my bedroom window, with eight eggs in the nest. Don’t know if it was a cat or raccoon or what that got it.
Sniff.
Mnemosyne
Awww. He looks a lot like our Keaton, except fuzzier. We lost two cats in two years, so I feel your sister’s pain.
It’s interesting that neutered males seem to get along just fine. We got Keaton after Natasha died and after a few days of hissing, he completely won Boris over and they were pals to the end.
Blue Raven
My condolences to the Coles. And to you as well, MikeJ.
Mnemosyne
@MikeJ:
Is there a wildlife station you can call for advice? You might still be able to save the eggs.
skippy
my condolences to your sis. we have cockatiels, and every so often, one passes on. even tho they’re just little birds, they each have their own personality and are very bonded to mrs. skippy and myself.
it’s indeed a sad occasion when a pet passes on.
rip sid.
dmv
Dogz rool.
Cats are pretty cool, too, I guess.
Your Sid story reminded me of my former dog chasing a moose in our backyard in Alaska. She ran back into the house posthaste when the moose stopped fleeing and started chasing her. Heh.
wonkie
Sorry about your duck. Probably a racoon–a duck can handle most cats. My neighbor lost her goose to a racoon.
Goodby, Sid. I’m sure you were a happy cat.
I’m not currently owned by a cat, but I do spend a lot of time caring for dogs at a shelter. One of my favorites, Tawny, is a hyper little pittie girl. Typical pit, she loves people and will do anything to please: she has learned Bring It, Give,Sit, Down and Stay in just three lessons and I am not even a real obedience teacher. She is going to get real dog lessons starting in three weeks, but I serioulsy think she will pass her basic test onthe first day of class. The real obediance teacher thinks she could be trained to be a service dog and I am sure she could be a winner at agility. unfortunatley she is eating her kennel.
Genine
It sounds as though Sid loved and was loved in return. Condolences to the Coles.
I’m sorry to hear about the duck, MikeJ. What happened to the eggs?
Libby
How sad. Too many cherished pets dying this week. This is the fifth one in three days. Condolences.
mrsmarks
Heartfelt condolences. We’ve got a 21-year-old who’s still hanging in there, though, like Sid, his Paul Bunyan days are long past.
Best wishes for your sister.
Libby
And condolences to Mike J too. I do hope you can find a way to save the eggs.
wmd
raccoons will usually go for the eggs as well.
Did you find the carcass? Raccoons like to eat the liver first, at least that’s what happened to my chickens when I was having predation problems from raccoons and skunks.
slag
Can’t beat the porn pose.
I’ll hug mine extra in honor of Sid today.
robertdsc
Condolences to the Coles and Mike J.
smiley
My first cat, one that my parents allowed me to believe was my pet alone, not my sisters’, was killed on the same day that JFK was killed. It was a cold, rainy day. I remember the death of my cat as much as I remember Kennedy’s. Both of those are “flashbulb memories” for me.
Added: The reason I bring this up is because of empathy for the loss of a beloved pet.
J.
What a magnificent feline. Very sad.
Btw, one of my daughter’s favorite picture books when she was younger was Six-Dinner Sid, about “a conniving kitty [who] finds bed and board with a sextet of families.” I bet your sister would enjoy it.
Mnemosyne
Raccoons also like chocolate. Little bastards ate an entire pound of chocolate that I sent to my mother-in-law because the mail carrier left it on the front step instead of putting it inside the door. Fortunately, See’s Candy was willing to send another box for free when I told them what happened.
Keith G
Those who have never earned the love of a good cat, have no idea what they are missing.
Hugs to your sis.
jnfr
Rest in peace, beautiful Sid.
Laura W
Ah…very sad. Very sorry for all Coles. Hardly anything worse than losing a fur kid, no matter the age or the circumstances. Words don’t help, but knowing a bunch of people are thinking of you in tender ways sometimes comforts a bit.
He’s my kinda kitty….big and fluffy. I love the “contented contempt” look. Sort of akin to affectionate antipathy. Sid reminds me a lot of my Walter, RIP. Maybe they will hook up. If heaven is big enough for the both of them.
JK
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them and my condolences for your sister’s loss.
demkat620
RIP Sid. Hugs to your family John. He was a very handsome lad.
Litlebritdifrnt
Sid was a sweetie, and sexy too! I am sure he was loved and that is all we can hope. That our pets leave this earth and cross to the rainbow bridge knowing they were loved. My darling Lab/whatever cross dog Lucky is now 13 years of age, it is getting harder and harder for him to jump up on the bed, some mornings I can’t even get him out of the bedroom to go outside. It is only a matter of time before he goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up. I can only imagine the pain that your family are going through right now. Give them hugs for me please.
EEH
What a beautiful kitty! My hugs and condolences to your family, losing a beloved cat is always hard.
Litlebritdifrnt
I can has open thread pleeze there is some news you guys need to know about….. KTHNXBAI.
Comrade E.B. Misfit
My condolences about Sid’s passing. I’m going to go spend some time now with Gracie.
AhabTRuler
He looks like an big awesome bundle of kitty-kat. Condolences.
Polish the Guillotines
Condolences to the Coles and RIP, Sid.
JL
John, Every pet is special and the joy that they bring is unmeasurable. Thank you for sharing the pictures of Sid. There was a great cartoon that said my mother always said that someone would love me unconditionally, I just didn’t know that he/she would have long hair and bad breadth. Pet owners are the lucky ones.
ironranger
Sid was a beauty. I love the fluffy kitties.
We had an all white, long hair male that thought he was supreme being not only over the humans, other cat & 2 dogs in his house but the whole neighborhood as well. He was neutered at 6 months but he still went out looking for trouble & came home exhausted all scratched up. I didn’t think cats could get black eyes but this one did. We would have liked to have a video cam on him to see what critters he was tangling with. Once we saw him having a staredown with a deer in our yard. The deer retreated.
Cataphract
My condolences to Sid.
Quick cat story, one-upper type: My evil but beautiful female cat, Coco, fought off two raccoons out in the backyard early one morning.
That cat lives off a cold nuclear rage, I swear.
John O
Sounds like a great cat, John.
I’m sorry for you, the family, and especially sis.
Losing a pet is serious business. It hurts me to think about even vicariously.
Litlebritdifrnt
Okay OT because John will not give me the requested OT, so Birther cage match Berg sues Orly. For thems of us in the legal profession this is like the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae….
http://www.politijab.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1272
JL
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I’m not registered so I’m blocked from understanding what this means.
ironranger
Our 19 yr old gray & white long hair cat died last July. She was the sweetest cat we ever had. She had arthritis, couldn’t groom herself & wasn’t happy about that. She would deliberately waddle up to one of our dogs who dearly loves to give his pet mates a good face & ear bath, bow her head so the dog would wash her head. Poor kitty looked pretty funny with wet fur sticking up all over her head but she & the dog were both happy with their deal.
Litlebritdifrnt
@JL:
Briefly, Phillip Berg and Orly Taitz are two attorneys (Berg in PA and Taitz in CA) who have been filing lawsuits against POTUS based upon (very very flawed) legal beliefs that POTUS is not a “Native Born Citizen” because one of his parents was not an American Citizen (they have come to the conclusion based upon Vattels “Law of Nations” that a “natural born citizen” can only be the child of two “natural born citizens” of the US, in contradiction of both the US constitution and SCOTUS rulings. ) Anyhoo, fights have broken out between the parties and right now Berg has filed suit against Taitz, for various kind of libel slander, etc., and despite the fact that Berg’s complaint is as utterly and totally incompetent as his others, he actually has a cause of action on behalf of his paralegal Lisa Liberi. He might actually win this one.
JL
@Litlebritdifrnt: LOL sounds like the rest of the whackos.
@ironranger: That is such a sweet story. Although I only have a mutt now, I grew up with cats and dogs and they have such special relationships.
I should add that she is a very special mutt and I’m very lucky to have her.
Francis
My dog died Thursday night. ouch. It hurts even to type that.
She was an 80+ lb. Akita mix, mostly black with a white ruff and a grayish overcoat. She was also the sweetest, most loveable and most undoglike canine ever.
Toss a treat at her? She’d let it hit her between the eyes rather than try to catch it. Fetch? “Do want me to do what?”, she’d ask. But she would give the sweetest howl whenever I came home, and chase her packmate (a 75-lb. malinois – akita mix male) around the house, and let little kids grab onto her tail, and let my wife give her big hugs, and on and on.
We were on vacation, due to fly back to LA on Friday. She was being boarded at an outdoor cage-free dog ranch, and after a long day of playing with other dogs, and watching over the smaller ones, she was tired. So she crawled into her crate, took a nap, and never woke up.
My vet says that some Akitas can have weak hearts. Hers may have been weak, but it was one of the biggest and softest I’ve ever known. G*d d*mn I loved that dog.
thanks for giving me the space to share.
(returns to lurking.)
Litlebritdifrnt
@JL:
Actually no. The reason that me and the rest of the gang at Politijab have been “stalking” these people is not so much the posts of the web hosts but the posts of their commenters, who to be honest are quite demented. There was one post recently which called for POTUS to “be dragged from the Whitehouse, tortured and then summarily executed” this person was serious as a heartbeat. While many stand by, watch and laugh, the peeps (good folks) at PJ have been collecting, cataloging and then reporting this bullshit to the FBI, the secret service and anyone else who will listen. We do not know whether or not it will help, but damn, so long as they KNOW, as least we knew we did our thing. Oh and there is a poster at PJ, who goes by the name of “Bogus Info” if that lady ever gets on your ass worry, cause she is damn relentless.
Gus
My condolences. This is particularly poignant for me. I’m bringing my dog in to the vet tomorrow a year after surgery for a small cancerous growth and he has another lump that we didn’t notice until he got his spring grooming.
ellie
RIP Sid. Nice kitty.
Gus
Francis, I’m very sorry. It’s amazing how powerful that bond is. ironranger, that’s cute. Are you really an Iron Ranger?
Laura W
@Litlebritdifrnt: Did you not see that John threw up an Open Thread 6 minutes after you
demandedrequested it? See what power you wield, woman?(Don’t brag about it, though. Some persons around here have “issues” around important stuff like this. Shhhh…)
Litlebritdifrnt
@Francis:
I cannot even begin to say how that hurt to read that, needless to say, your baby was loved, all through her life, she knew that, you knew that, she went to sleep, and didnt wake up, she didn’t suffer, there was no prolonged illness, she just went to sleep. That happened to one of mine, she went to sleep on her favorite kitchen door step and just never woke up. Just praise that you had the time with her you did, and she was loved.
Polish the Guillotines
@Francis: Wow, Francis. That’s so damn sad. You have my condolences.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Laura W:
LOL going upstairs!
JL
@Litlebritdifrnt: Although I am not young, it still amazes me how hypocritical folks can be. You would think that after living in GA a few decades, I would learn. Unfortunately their hate spreads and in the wrong hands, it could affect us all. Pray for the secret service because I feel they need all the prayers that we have. My son was at the Olympics when Rudolph spread his hate and fortunately my son was okay. He witnessed the damage and it took awhile before he could call me but he was okay. As a side note, he tried to use a pay phone and the police would not let him because they were gathering fingerprints. He told the police in language not approved by the Supreme Ct. that he had to call me and let me know he was okay.
JenJen
RIP, Sweet Sid. I always liked animals with people-names.
Dibatt
RIP, Sid. I hope we run into each other on the other side. I’m sure you were a good friend and companion.
Life without cats wouldn’t be worthwhile.
Ella in NM
You can’t possibly not believe in reincarnation when you love a cat.
The Moar You Know
This might be the most true thing I’ve ever read here.
RIP, Sid. He was obviously an awesome kitty.
Laura W
Deleted ‘cuz this thread is for Sid.
eldorado
godspeed, sid.
Comrade Kevin
Aw, Sid was a beauty. My condolences.
Cris
Peace to Sid and everlasting memories of him to Ms. Cole.
My 14-year-old is back from the brink; five days ago, as I watched him drag his hind legs around the house, I was sure that the time had come. But my vet saved the day once again, and I get to keep his feline friendship for a little bit longer.
CaseyL
I love fluffy kitties, and polydactyl kitties: Sid was, ergo, A Perfect Cat. (Love his Summer Style – I now have 2 fluffs, and might have to get them shaved, depending on how hot it gets this summer) Sincere condolences to all the Coles on his passing.
Sincere condolences also to Francis, and his family, on the loss of their sweet doggie.
cathaireverywhere
My condolences to your sister. Sid looks like he was a great cat. My Jones looks very much like Sid, even down to the polydactyl feet. I will give him an extra hug in memory of Sid.
Mr. Stuck
Sid was a handsome cat. Always hard to lose a beloved pet. I bet there is a kitty heaven with lots of deer to chase.
MarkusB
My condolences to all of Sid’s humans. Cats are great, and Sid sounds and looks like a great cat.
Gemina13
I’m so sorry about Sid, John. You and your sisters have my condolences. Sid looks like he was a lovely boy. And fearless? I’m beginning to think that’s a particular trait of black-and-white cats.
A beloved friend used to tell her cats when they passed, “Enjoy the Summerlands, sweetheart.” Bye, Sid. Enjoy the Summerlands, sweetheart. May they be full of all kinds of interesting things to chase.
Mary
My condolences to your sister for Sid, John. He was a beauty. And this was a wonderful obituary.
DougJ
Sorry to hear this.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Mr. Stuck:
Also known as Deer Hell.
asiangrrlMN
Aw, Sid is a beautiful boy. Run swiftly to the other side, Sid, and play peacefully.
Sorry to MikeJ, too, about your wild duck.
Francis, it’s such a shame about your beautiful Akita. May she be in peace on the other side as well.
Everyone with animal companions–give them an extra hug tonight. I will, too.
Bad Horse's Filly
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t read all the comments – too weepy lately.
To all who have loved and lost: Blessed are all of us who open our hearts up to those we know we will outlive. Our lives are enriched, our hearts, while broken always find room for one more. Condolences to all who loved Sid.
Darkrose
Mike J: I’m sorry about your duck. :(
John: Sid looks like he was a lovely boy. Was he a Maine Coon?
wasabi gasp
Sorry, John. Losing a pet is tough. My girlfriend’s cat is getting kinda old and I dread what that sad day may do to her. She couldn’t get any closer to that cat if she ate it.
DecidedFenceSitter
Figure this is the best place as any – my mother just emailed me to let me know that the cat we’ve had since I was 10 (so 20 years) just had a major stroke, so she’ll probably be bringing the cat to the vet today.
Best wishes to your sister, John.
WereBear
This was incredibly true:
Sid looked like a wonderful cat. It’s sad to lose them; it would be even sadder never to have known them.
Krista
My condolences to your sister, John. Sid was an absolutely gorgeous beastie, and I’m sure he’ll be missed.
BTW: your sister is lucky to have a brother who loves cats and can empathize. I’m sure you’ll be a large factor in helping her with her grief.
Norma Lampson
Ah, in praise of cats! My new husband informed me he hated cats, 48 years later we have cried at all our beloved cats{and dogs} who have gone from our lives. Each were unique and treated us as good servants of their need. I have often wondered how starving strays we have welcomed could treat us with such arrogance and love. Norma
Terri
Sad condolences for your sister, John. Looking at the pictures of Sid made my heart skip a little, he could be the twin brother of my beloved 14yr old cat, Poppie. I’ve spent more days than I care to, celebrating good old fashioned Irish wakes for much loved animals, but when Poppie goes I’m not sure there is enough alcohol in the world to ease that grief.
Condolences to everyone else who have lost animals that they loved.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
Sid’s waiting at The Bridge.
Thanks for sharing this. My deepest condolences.
jshubbub
Having just lost my 20 year-old cat who also enjoyed napping in clothes hampers, I understand. My deepest sympathies to you and your sister.
LanceThruster
The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
Anne Cole
my baby Sid was the most amazing cat ever. he was my one and only-my baby, my best friend, my constant solace, and losing him has been my worst nightmare. but if there truly is such a thing as the rainbow bridge, I will be the happiest girl in the world for the rest of my life.