#cat 1

Cat 1 has become very theatrical in eating and other activities, as if to say “I am fine! Don’t worry about ME.” She’s 16 in August. She’s my first cat. She’ll be my last cat for a very long time.

Black cat pet owners with horribly lit houses know the struggle I’ve faced for seven years now: if my cat isn’t looking at me, my photos of him are not turning out.

Duke has been in my life since January 2013 as my best friend and my first pet of my adult life. He’s sick right now - I won’t get too much into it, I’ve cried to plenty people already - and I’ve begun reminiscing. To prove me wrong, because that’s his job, he’s actually seemed a lot better today as if he knows I’m being melodramatic. Here’s hoping I’ve jinxed him!

I got into Webkinz when a girl I was babysitting became obsessed. I was 18 ish. I bought a few for myself and would play the games online all day long and give the stuffed animals to the dogs. By the time Duke came into my life, this one particular stuffed animal was already a few years old, beaten to death by the dogs, and looked pretty worse for the wear. Duke fell in love with it and would carry it around all day. He would bring it to my room at bedtime most nights (when he wasn’t dragging blankets around instead) and will ‘hold’ it when I pick him up. I don’t know when the toy lost its eyeballs but they’ve been gone for a long time.

Duke’s weird in other ways, too. He’s been obsessed with chips his whole life and we’ve enabled this terrible display of table manners. He also started off as the only cat in a house with two dogs his size so I honestly think he’s a living hybrid. The bottom right photo is two dogs and Duke begging for Saltines... Saltines... OF ALL THE THINGS TO BEG FOR, REALLY GUYS?

He also likes to peek out the blinds, rip apart presents even if none of them have his name on them, and (in the top left photo) displaying all of his claws at all times while he had them. Fun fact, the top left photo was sent to me when I was pet scouting from a family friend who works at a shelter. The phone I had back then only showed his face, the hand holding him, and his feet. I didn’t see the jazz hands but I wanted him anyway!

Duke has been a big brother several times over now and he’s always a great big sibling, even when its to  60- and 85-pound Boxers. (Okay, to be fair, he did bite the fawn Boxer a tiny bit a few seconds after that photo was taken.) The white Boxer was rescued and showed signs of abuse and Duke would cuddle up with him every night when I’d stay over at my parent’s house.

Duke was a good big brother to Merlin (white and gray), a kitten we had for about nine months before he became sick. He would clean him constantly, let Merlin train for battle with his tail, and only steal his food sometimes! We bought tons of toys and activities for Merlin to entice some activity out of him and Duke always let Merlin have his turn.

I’ve only included one photo of Duke with the girls, kittens we rescued four days after we put Merlin down because I had too many cat toys and a now-empty feeling house. He plays with the nice one and avoids the mean one and doesn’t kick them down from the top of the cat tree ever.

Duke lets me dress him in costumes. I don’t think I need to say much more!

Even if he didn’t have a love affair with a smelly green frog  Or love chips as much as I do Or wasn’t the best big brother cat ever Or allow me to dress him in costumes (And sometimes even look like he doesn’t hate them), He would still be my first fur baby, the most entertaining cat I’ve ever had, and a sweet, chonk of a boy. I hope he gets better soon because I want so much more than seven years with this little love.