Salvador (c.1990 - 2006)

Salvador, originally uploaded by KDavidClark.

This is Salvador -- AKA "Meepy" for the sound he made in place of meowing.

His fur was all white and his eyes were light blue. He lived roughly 16 long years, 12 of them with us, and was soft-hearted, loving, ever-sleepy, and quiet.

Salvador arrived at our home as a stray, hanging around presumably to be near the cat food just inside our back door. Initially when I saw him behind the house and called out, I thought he was Callie - the big white kitty that was already at our house. Imagine my surprise when I was confronted by an entirely different animal. He was thin and small, looking more like a adolescent cat than an adult. When we finally allow him to come inside, he ate and promptly drifted off in the living room. It was only after a trip to the vet that we discovered this "adolescent" was around 4 years old and was missing a fang -- not by trauma but by birth. He had also been fixed somewhere along the way. His overall size told us that he had been living off an occasional meal, and mostly off his own wits. Callie accepted him warily but with little trouble.

Salvador bulked up over time, finally coming to look like the adult cat he was. But he never became huge or gained any more stature in the "kitty caste" system in our home. That didn't bother him at all; he spent his days sleeping in Grandma's room and his nights protecting the backyard. In the morning, like clockwork, he would be at the backdoor - pawing incessantly at the glass - ready to eat and head off to bed. We noticed over time that he had an aversion to lighters, matches, or flame of any kind; we think he may have been abused when younger because he would skulk away from any fire. He was a follower and rarely one to instigate a fight unless pressed or invaded. This earned him a number of trips to the vet, as almost every Fall he would get bitten on the backside running away from an encounter with another male cat (known in our neighborhood as "Mutant Kitty" for its weird Siamese eyes and raccoon tail color). In 2004 Salvador nearly died from wounds on his hip, but he was even tougher than the vet thought he could be. He pulled out of the massive infection but it clearly took a toll on his 14 year old frame.

In the end age was too fast a vehicle for Salvador. His body never bulked up for Winter 2006, which was not typical for him, and each day carried less and less activity. He became accident prone in the house and slept more and more. By February he was no longer hopping onto laps for petting or eating his favorite crunchy food. As the vet put it, "10 years ago I would have said "let's check this out.' But at his age he's had a nice long life." That last trip was not easy.

Despite some annoying habits, we miss him very much. He's gone to a place where the mice are big and juicy, and the scratching posts are enormous. Enjoy the Other Side, Meepy. Rest In Peace.