Leroy Brown came into Mike's life 18 years ago. He was a tiny, two-week-old kitten when Mike brought him home from his sister's Wisconsin farm. This week, Mike and I said good bye to Leroy. It's been a tough week.
I wrote about Leroy a few times on this blog, but now it doesn't seem nearly sufficient. I could have written novels about him. Leroy was an average size cat with a big personality. His personality was so large it's hard to capture in words and sentences. Leroy was a cat you had to experience.
He was loud. I have always said that Leroy is a cat who gets the last word because he was. If he meowed at you, and if you made a sound back, he wouldn't stop until after you did. And he didn't have a sweet little meow. He had a loud, raspy meow that sounded as if he were a pack-a-day smoker. It was never louder than when he wanted food or milk.
My nickname for Leroy was O.D.B. for Old Dirty Bastard. His favorite move, one that I like to imagine Mike taught him, was sauntering up to me on the couch and headbutting my boobs. He loved boobs, so much so that he wasn't above pawing at them or nuzzling in them whenever they were present and available.
Leroy had a crazy spot. It was a little cat perch that was tucked in a corner. If we patted it, Leroy would almost always jump up on it and start meowing and rolling around. It was then our job to rough him up. I truly think he was never happier than when Mike was playing with him in that spot.
But he was a cat after all, so he did enjoy his naps. And he most often enjoyed his naps in Mike's laundry. Dirty or clean, it didn't matter.
In the past few months, Leroy wasn't really Leroy any longer. The things that made him so him had slowly diminished with his health. He slept a lot. He started having trouble getting around and he never went to his crazy spot. It was all of these things that signaled that it was time to let Leroy go. His essence had already left him.
Leroy was an amazing cat. He was crazy. He was truly unique. He was Mike's wing man for 18 years. He was our cat for 6 years. He was Leroy Brown - the baddest cat in the whole damn town.
Leroy, I loved you very much. You were one-of-a-kind. I will miss you nuzzling against my neck, head butting my boobs and roughhousing on your crazy spot. I will miss the way you hugged me and did not let go. Your presence in our home was huge, and you are missed terribly already.
And because I prefer to remember him at his happiest, here is Leroy doing what he did best - going crazy in his crazy spot.
I wrote about Leroy a few times on this blog, but now it doesn't seem nearly sufficient. I could have written novels about him. Leroy was an average size cat with a big personality. His personality was so large it's hard to capture in words and sentences. Leroy was a cat you had to experience.
He was loud. I have always said that Leroy is a cat who gets the last word because he was. If he meowed at you, and if you made a sound back, he wouldn't stop until after you did. And he didn't have a sweet little meow. He had a loud, raspy meow that sounded as if he were a pack-a-day smoker. It was never louder than when he wanted food or milk.
And because I prefer to remember him at his happiest, here is Leroy doing what he did best - going crazy in his crazy spot.
2 comments:
Oh gosh...I had to stop reading because I'm at work and started crying. I have a feeling that you didn't get through this post without shedding some tears of your own. Goodbye, Leroy...you boob lover, you.
I miss that Leroy has not been on the phone with you when I call for sometime now. I always knew automaticlly when you took the call at home - when we talked Leroy was meowing away on your shoulder. Peace be with Leroy.
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