Stewart, R.I.P. (by Dan)

Stewart the cat is dead. He'd been missing for a couple days, and just this evening we found him lying in the alfalfa field in front of our house where he loved to romp. There were no signs of injury, so it must have been the culmination of some unknown illness (he was only 7). Looking back, there were occasional hints that his health might not be in the best shape. But with Stewart it was always hard to tell.

Stewart was our "engagement kitty". Some people come home from getting engaged with just a ring. Us? We came home with a ring and a cat. After Joy finally let me propose to her on the bluffs of the Mississippi (ask her about that sometime), we went for a quick hike. Coming back to the parking lot, we were greeted by the sweetest little kitty. As we enjoyed the moment, the vending stand operator nearby yelled out to us, "Want a cat? He's a stray, and needs a good home." Joy turned to me with those eyes of hers, and well, like I could say "no"....

They don't come much friendlier than Stewart. They also don't come much more neurotic. He loved people. And insisted upon being with them all the time. We'd go for walks, and he'd follow us like a dog. When he was an indoor cat, if we shut a door, there'd invariably be that paw reaching underneath it to say, "let me in!" And now, on the farm, he finally got his wish to be an outdoor cat, but still insisted that the house should be his, too. We've got claw marks in our window screens where he'd jump up and hang on for dear life, just to make sure we knew he was there.

For all his annoyances, he was a great cat. And was especially perfect with kids. He didn't care if Ana pulled his hair, yanked his tail, or tried to sit on him - it was all good fun to him. What saddens us the most is that he won't be a part of Ana and Toby's childhood memories. Ana at least got to know and love him (she'd go outside and yell, "Stoooower!"), but she will certainly forget all about him. Shortly after getting engaged, Joy & I had the happy realization that he was the first addition to what would be our family legacy. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be...

So, with due credit to Martin Luther, who penned this remark upon the death of his beloved dog, here's my slightly modified version, for Stewart:

Be thou comforted, little cat. For you, too, in the Resurrection will have your golden tail.