Hard to believe that in just a few hours, it will have been two weeks since Tunch was murdered in his own yard. I still miss him so much every day, and see him all the time out of the corner of my eye and in my dreams. I was going through the old pics and movies on my hard drive and I found this and uploaded it again:
I loved him so much and miss him more, but I’ve got a new boss and Steve is coming out of his shell, and Rosie is starting to accept him, so that is what really matters.
cckids
Aw, so sweet. He was so funny & calm. Hang in there, John.
piratedan
I am both happy and sad for you JC. Having your home feel right allows you to be a motivated and engaged inspiration for us all, you bastard. I know that Steve won’t replace Tunch, but I hope that he is able to stake out his own place next to him in your heart.
next week should be fun, supposedly GG is going to be talking to Congress via Skype. Should be fun watching him hold court, but wonder if he’ll take any questions post making his statement(s), truly popcorn must be popped for said occasion.
Roger Moore
Was that laziness or just Tunch not wanting to play right then? It’s hard to tell from my angle.
And yes, we miss him too, John.
Emdee
That cat was a goddamn hero. The $15K-plus for MARC doesn’t include the dozens, if not hundreds, of kitties and doggies Tunch heaped save through Charlie’s Angels. Just by being himself, the lazy bastard.
Can’t wait to see what Steve will do. He looks adorable, but compared to Tunch he must be an absolute blur.
NotMax
“Murdered?”
Killed. Or slain.
/annoying pedant
Hang in there, the grief will fade.
NotMax
Sort of a fun tidbit.
The ten-pound note evolves beyond Darwin.
PurpleGirl
Cute video of Tunch. He was above racing around after a toy.
Mary G
You will miss him for a long time.
WereBear
It won’t burn quite so much, but we always miss our lost loved ones. There is nothing wrong with that.
I admire John for going right out and getting a new cat, who needed a home desperately. Steve would have been considered un-adoptable in many places, because of his age and neuter status, his poor coat condition, and his checkered ownership history.
And yet, there was absolutely nothing wrong with him that love and care can’t cure. This is true of so many potential pets languishing in shelters.
My last three were less than ideal adoptions, too. And they worked out just fine!
Suffern ACE
@NotMax: meh. I would have gone with Mary Shelley.
Punchy
It appears FYWP is throwing up all over itself this morning. Either that, or lots of peeps have a lot to say a lot of times.
ohsuzanna
I’m really so sorry, John. I just can’t imagine what that would be like. Really.
I mean this in the kindest way possible, but have you thought about whether your use of the term “murdered” may be like a stab in the heart to your sister or your brother? I’ve thought it every time I read one of your posts where you use it.
I hope the hurt gets a little better every day.
donnah
Like Tunch, Steve has charisma. It sounds like he’s found a great home and is settling in, and when Rosie signs off on it, you’ll have a happy family again.
Watching that vid of Tunch, I was reminded of one of our cats, who simply couldn’t be bothered to go after toys. She didn’t see the entertainment value at all. But another of our cats loves, loves, loves chasing little balls, or feather toys or plastic rings from milk carton caps. She’s a great little cat.
It will happen; time will pass and Big Steve will be part of your family. And you’ll never forget Tunch.
Daffodil's Mom
It never stops hurting, John. You just get used to the pain. But your heart stretches to fit the others who come into your life and they find their own special place too.
agrippa
I miss my cat too. I share how you feel.
I hope to get another.
johnny's mom
Our beloved Berry hung around the house long after his passing. Johnny (pup) seemed to see or hear him walking around the bed at bedtime, which we chalked up to old habits. We heard noises, like him jumping on his tower or furniture, which WOULD HAVE made us question our respective sanities, if Johnny hadn’t heard them too. The corker came the night my water bottle fell over at 4 in the morning, just as it had so many times when Berry was alive.
He was one of those “I’m up = you’re up” cats, who couldn’t bear being ignored. He would go through all kinds of antics to get our attention in the wee hours. My particular favorite, a short-lived phase, was dive-bombing his daddy from the top of the armoire, BAM!, right on the stomach (Berry tipped the scales at about 18 pounds). Still makes me laugh to think of it.
Elie
Know how you feel — missing your friend… it stays a while — you never forget him— but Steve will become more real to you and life will move on…
Biscuits
He was a vicious jagular! I miss him.
Maude
Just keep dangerous animals away from the property.
For some reason I see Steve as Sammy. Odd.
Sayne
Are you sure you aren’t seeing him out of the corner of your eye?
You always said Tunch was planning to murder you. Since his untimely death left his plans incomplete, that cat is probably going to haunt you and that house for decades.
asiangrrlMN
Oh, Tunchie. Sweet Tunchie. I teared up reading this post. It’s hard to accept he’s gone, but I had to smile at his total disinterest in chasing after the toy when you moved it away from him, Cole. He is still with you in spirit. I’m really glad you have Steve now and that all are settling down in Cole-land.
p.a.
Portuguese word for this wonderful/sad video: saudade. Tunch gave new meaning to the phrase ‘cat-like reflexes’.
Edmund dantes
@NotMax: I have to agree. I think you are allowing the emotions to override your good sense. Plus you’re not allowing your sister to heal herself.
I had some thing similar happen. I had our dog upstairs when I was a kid. One of our cats just had kittens a couple weeks ago. I came down that morning forgetting te kittens were about. Danni went rushing down, saw one of the kittens, and went to play with it. The kitten, my sister’s favorite one she wanted to keep was killed.
I never would have been able to heal and move on if my sister kept proclaiming how Danni murdered her kitten.
It was an accident. You need to choose your language better so that everyone can heal not just be selfish and only care about your own healing.
Joel
@NotMax: Dumping Darwin sucks, though.
Christine
Delurking here: Oh dear lord, If John wants to use the word “murder” because that is what it was from his perspective, let him. Leave off the lectures, fer chrissake. We have no reason to believe that he doesn’t know how to maintain close relationships with his sister and brother, and that’s his business. Sheesh.
RainyDay
I agree with Ohsuzanna. You keep saying you forgive your siblings, but you keep using the word, “murder.” That’s really rough, and if you are honest, likely passive-aggressive.
I’m guessing you plan to keep using ‘murder’ until you sister gets rid of the Rottweiler.
You’re not playing fair.
You named Steve after the Tao of Steve. Embrace the Tao!!
Not just for yourself, but for Lily, Rosie, Steve, and ALL of your family members.
Edmund dantes
@Christine: it would be fine for John to use it if he wasn’t proclaiming to the world it’s murder. If my sister had done that to me, no matter what she told me to my face. I’d never been able to forgive myself or believe she really did love me.
John can say it in his heart if he wants to, but yelling it on the corner doesn’t help her heal. Especially if he’s saying nice things to her face. It’s even worse in that regard.
schrodinger's cat
Aaww Tunchito! He looks so soft and squeezable. He truly made the blog awesome. Steve has some big paw prints to fill.
SectarianSofa
I don’t read the blog for a couple of days, and the cat formerly known as boss is now named Steve? Weird. But it makes me laugh.
Scrolling back through posts trying to find where the ‘Steve’ thing went down, and haven’t found it, but am reminded how awesome this blog is. Cole can pick them, whether they are cats, dogs, or FPers.
StringOnAStick
Such a cute video; he’s interested but not enough to burn too many calories over it all. I sometimes think cats like to watch us play with their toys, while they sit back and smile at how cute their humans are when they do that cute thing with their hands.
John can say whatever he wants about Tunch’s, he was his cat and it is his loss, and he is free to deal with this as he chooses. Back off people, it’s his life, his cat, and his family, not yours.
1morelurker
@RainyDay: And you think hectoring John Cole about his grief,his description of how Tunch died is fair?
Christine
@Edmund dantes: Since “murder” is referring to the dog, not the owner, and the dog probably doesn’t read this blog, your point is moot. Stop telling other people how to handle their grief and their family relationships.
1morelurker
@Edmund dantes: Good Lord,you are being rude and pushy
Keith G
@Edmund dantes:
Our pet animals have become so ubiquitous that large numbers of our society don’t give their entrance and presence in a location a second thought. My place belongs to my cats, I just pay the bills and act as doorman. I have had friends drop by with dog(s) in tow expect to be welcomed in. No.
We meet and greet and converse outside. I don’t know how a dog that I don’t spend time with will react to my cats and my cats deserve not to be a test case. If my cats were outside critters, same would apply to my yards – with a flexible, “Secure your dog while I secure my cats.”
The above would be cubed x 1,000, if a child were involved. Dogs are really great critters, but sometimes humans let them be in situations that they should not be in (or extend to them trust they are not able to fulfil).
Thus I error on the side of my two kitties.
Eljai
I love that video. I imagine Tunch thinking “okay, okay, I’ll bat the thing. Are we done yet?”
Msskwesq
Oh sweet Tunch! This video made me cry all over again. He was a fabulous cat.
Susan S
I sort of had the same thought about the “murder” language..but John Cole is a master of language..and like I tell my friends, friends never criticize other friends. I really believe this..I take crap from my family [children are allowed]..other investment advisors because I am a raving liberal.[.and this year my clients are cleaning up because of it..] We have to watch porn like the Trayvon Martin verdict..or the various wars..but great friends never criticize. They may sneak in a suggestion a slight, hardly noticeable way..but they don’t do it pedantically or officiously. And guys, you all know Mr. Cole far better than I, but aren’t those comments guaranteed to have him issuing Tunch T-shirts with MURDER blasened over the nose?
For more fun, consider Sophie. I lost my beautiful home of 30 years in 2009. It was a wonderful old Craftsman, in a beautiful area of Seattle and I was devastated. But looking for a place to rent, I found the perfect spot, on the western shore of Vashon Island. Vashon has an incredible cat shelter..funded by a very generous Estate, it is a home made over for cats..sparkling clean, spoiled cats thanks to hundreds of committed volunteers. I found Sophie there..I didn’t know how to pick, other than I wanted an older cat. After I had petted her for a bit, I started to go..and she reached out her paw and swatted me…saying clearly “You’re not done till I say you’re done.” I fell out. Adopted her on the spot..and she sleeps on my legs while I trade stocks in a beautiful apt with a 160 degree balcony looking north over Seattle.
The point of all this..over and over in my life, out of the worst days I can imagine, come times of true joy and peace. And yes, Sophie still swats you if she wants more. It’s her right..it’s her apt, after all.
Mrs. Polly
He was your Cat of Cats. I had a Dog of Dogs. I’ll love other dogs, and every love is its own character, but there’s just something….and my dog wasn’t taken away without warning, in such a painful manner, too soon. It’s not reasonable to expect you to be reasonable about it, not for a long time to come, I don’t think.
Who outside of the Cole family knows enough to wade into this complex emotional tangle? I can tell you that I was bitten by a young pit bull in my building, and still can see the toothmarks seven years later. It wasn’t a full bite, luckily; I was getting off the elevator with my dog, and “Tyson” (of course) bit me in passing. He’s still here, because his owner is a genuine Mafia hoodling (Daddy was part of the Ravenite Social Club, and is doing life! Really!), but management was able to require that the dog always be muzzled when outside his apartment.
There have been no more incidents with “Tyson,” so I suggest that anybody devoted to rescuing pits consider requiring that they be leashed and muzzled in all non-private spaces, the way rescue greyhounds have to be leashed. I’ve met very nice, happy, bouncy AmStaffs and such since, but always keep out of reach of those jaws stupid humans bred so much power into.
JR
On an only semi-related topic, my wife and dog (a rescue pit who happens to be the gentlest dog I’ve ever met–much less owned–in my life) and I are visiting West Virginia for the first time this weekend, staying at a little rental house in Lost River, and it’s just spectacular. If I had realized how pretty it was here, I’d probably already have a cabin built somewhere in the area.
I used to think Cole must be a cranky hermit shunning civilization, but I could totally see this as a full-time lifestyle, especially now that high-speed internet and Apple TV are available.
Ol Froth
I had my cat Smokie for nearly 18 years, and she was to me, the best cat ever. While I do not see her out of the corner of my eye, she often visits me in my dreams. Those memories of Tunch are a comfort and a blessing….embrace and enjoy them.
Pogonip
John, he turned his head and moved his foot; for Tunch, that was probably an exhausting workout.
I was surprised how much I was saddened by the death of a cat I’ve never met who belonged to a man I’d never met. I hope John writes a book about his life with Tunch.
It’s long, long out of print, but if you ever see “P.J., My Friend,” by Noel B. Gerson, in a used bookstore, grab it. It’s a great pet memoir about a man’s happy life with his daughter’s cat, Prince Julius Hamlet. I also recommend “Every Night, Josephine,” by (of all people) Jacqueline Susann, about her dog.
metalgirl
He was such a handsome boy! I am SO IMPRESSED with the way that you are so positively dealing with losing him. It’s really an inspiration to everyone who has a beloved pet that we (obviously) will all eventually lose. Although losing Tunch was sudden, tragic, and horrible, you have given another shelter cat a wonderful home.
BTW, I’m thrilled that there’s a BJ Meetup happening on 8/5 in Durham for those of us in the NC Triangle area! John and you Front Pagers, you have really created a wonderful community and very many of us are very thankful for that!!
P.S. I’m the bourbon ball lady. My parents in Ky have decided to stay in assisted living so I am now in the possession of a huge jug of Maker’s Mark that celebrates the 1996 NCAA Men’s Basketball championship Ky team. Bourbon balls are going to be especially good this year :)
Kac90
Awww, Tunch. I’m crying again. The hurt of a ‘lost’ cat will never let us go. 25 years since a post-natal cat mauled me so seriouslyy I had 130 stitches, she had to be put down and I hand fed those kitties (and yes, in my office at work) until all were adopted.
I still feel sick and cry over it. Always will. But my rescue cat, Butters, is the love of my life. Have end stage cancer and he never leaves my side. Don’t know what I’ll do with him when it really is the end for me.
MacKenna
Tunch should have been in commercials.
I can just see him now in a food commercial “Let the bowl come to me, damn it!”
nota bene
That was the perfect song for that video.
Paul in KY
@RainyDay: I think ‘murder’ is a word that can be used in this situation. Tunch was out in his own backyard. A backyard that smelled heavily of Tunch. The dog would have smelled that & would have known this was Tunch’s territory. Tuch would have had every reason to think he would be safe & in command in his own backyard.
So the dog bothers him, he reacts & not in a ‘I will kill you manner’ (dog would have had more wounds in that case) & dog kills him. A level of ‘murder’ or ‘catslaughter’ there, IMO.