Simon, Cat

My kids love watching Simon's Cat.  I'm pretty sure half the humor, for them, is that Simon is the name of their cat.  I know that half the time they can't remember if the Simon in the movies is the cat or the person.

We got him on a camping trip only a week or two after we got married.  Someone had left a litter of kittens and he came up and introduced himself to us.  He was such a little puff of a kitten, too.  For the longest time, he said "Mac" instead of "Mau."

He used to stalk my feet in the early mornings.  Only mine.  Jonathan would throw him out of the room.  I'd throw him out of the house.  He wanted to be sneaking through the bushes, anyway.  There were whole flocks of birds that would flutter around our patio, teasing him.

He was never much of a hunter, though.  He caught a little garter snake, once, and it got away and slithered into the hall closet.  I stayed outside until Jonathan found it and relocated it.  Simon caught a toad, too.  He was so proud of himself, trotting up with the bumpy little thing in his mouth.  Until the toad did what all toads do when you catch them.  Simon's face suddenly got this distressed/disappointed look and he spat the toad out.  I don't think he ever really tried, after that.

As a bobtail, he got pretty stocky.  Any time someone visited they'd tell us we have a big cat.  I'm always amazed at how small their cats are.

 He was my kids' first friend and, for all but Joseph, their first word, too.  He let Elena chew his ears and use his head as leverage when she was learning to stand.

He let Joseph pull fur and chase him around the house.

He was fascinated by James' smells and just happy to hang out with the quiet one.

He took naps with Lucy and they would meow to each other.

This morning, the kids found him on our front lawn.  He'd been in a fight, or something.  It wasn't horrific, but it wasn't exactly pretty, either.  Jonathan got him washed and wrapped up.  Elena kept asking to see him, over and over, even though she knew he was gone.  My mom offered a place where we could bury him.  We tried to explain it to James as best we could and even let him say bye, but I really don't know how much he understood.  Joseph immediately asked if we could get a puppy.

This is going to be a really big adjustment for us.  The kids have always had him there.  The only time I've not had a pet was those two weeks between the wedding and the camping trip.  I feel a little lost, right now.  It gives me a bit of comfort, though, to imagine him chasing bugs and maybe wandering around Dad's place for a while.  Adieu, mon chat.  We'll see you later.