In Memoriam: The Spike-Meister

I received the news late last night; Spike was no longer with us. He will be missed - most of all by his adopted Mom, who took care of him for over 20 years. I had the privilege of being a care-taker for Spike for the last 3 years - when his Mom and her husband traveled. Spike, by that time was a geriatric gentleman; he walked or trotted, jumped and climbed, had bad teeth and was a diabetic, who needed his insulin injections 30 minutes after his meals, twice a day. I'm sorry that I missed out on his younger years, as he had a dynamic personality, and was quite a hell-raiser. Spike was half Siamese, had slightly crossed blue eyes and a tan coat with red-brown points (a flame point) and a few odd flame-colored stripes thrown in on his head, back and legs. He also loved to talk to you, although the rusty rasping mew I knew was very different from his yowls and vocalizations when he was younger.

The Spike I knew loved to snuggle - to lay full-length on your torso and have his ears and chin rubbed. He took a stroll around the yard several times a day, patrolling it for strange cats and, hopefully, slow birds. He slept in bed with me and liked to crawl under the covers - but he had a disconcerting way of wanting his human companions to be up at the crack of dawn, whether he got fed or not. He gave and received many years of love to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.