Radar, my first child...

by Jesica
(MN)

In 2000, my then boyfriend, now husband Dylan & I, went to our local Humane Society to adopt a kitten. We knew we were going to pick the cutest little kitty they had to offer. It would be the first pet we had ever owned so we had superficial ideas about what we would choose. We entered the building & bypassed all the older cats straight to one adorable kitten. He was surrounded by many potential adopters wanting the same cute kitten. Quickly we grabbed a staff person and asked to take the little guy to the one-on-one room. He was everything we wanted. We wrote his I.D number down & raced to the counter hoping to adopt him before one of the many, many others also looking at him. As we walked as quickly as we could I heard the most obnoxious loud cry coming from a cage by my feet. There looking up at me was a very skinny orange tabby cat. Ugliest thing ever & we both kind of laughed at it. As we giggled at his loud cries I became very sad. Besides his hip bone sticking out he had a very large head & incredibly large ears. By far NOT the ideal looking cat. He was a year old & so scared. Very different from the healthy kitten enjoying all the attention we were about to adopt. I looked over at Dylan who by now had a sad look on his face also. I said no one is going to take this cat & everyone wants the other. Lets ask if we can bring him in the one-on-one room. In the room we sat him down & he continued to scream the horrible meow as he rubbed on our legs & feet begging to be taken out of there. I said, "Let's just do it, he is freaking out in here."

We named him Radar due to his large ears & quickly he became a very healthy big cat. So grateful & affectionate. He was playful, smart and down-right funny. He fitted in with us like peanut butter & jelly...our new best buddy. Radar became a favorite amongst our friends & family. When visitors came over it wasn't uncommon for them to call for Radar as they walked in the door. Dylan's parents had never liked or owned pets & his father was allergic to cats. Surprisingly they to would ignore the sniffles & itchy eyes & cuddle with him. Radar & his father became very close friends. He was treated like our child, I would hold him like a baby as he slept. We would talk to him & he always answered back. We later got married then pregnant & my first worry was how Radar was going to handle it, LOL. We had a very energetic little boy that pulled his ears, laid on him, hit him with toys, chased him around the house. That cat never bit him, every now & then he would place his open mouth on his arm and look up at us as a warning to get him away. For the most part they became great friends also. Later, we had a second boy who's now two & Radar was now 11. Still in his older age he put up with these boys like a champ.

On June 12, 2011 my children went camping & I stayed home. I had noticed Radar laying at the bottom the the steps for many hours but just thought he was enjoying the quiet same as I. As I would pass him he would meow that terrible sound like always. I would say, "Hey Radar, you lazy cat, watcha doing?" and he answered back. I began to do dishes & all of the sudden our wall clock fell crashing right next to him. I looked over & the first thing I noticed was he didn't jump up. I ran to him & he meowed again at me. I said "HEY get up! " He just looked at me sad. I tried to stand him up & he just fell back down. I quickly scooped him up in my arms & carried him to the couch. I pressed on his back legs but they were cold & limp. Our local Vet was closed & I had no idea were the Emergency pet hospital was. I gave him water through a dropper and held him. He didn't seem to be in any pain & I was so confused. My hubby came home from work & he & his father rushed him to the pet hospital. He had a blood clot & the doctors said he needed to be put down. We were in shock. My husband couldn't bear being in there & seeing Radar go. I couldn't bear him going without me there. So I stayed and held him. Kissing his neck as he fell asleep. We were all able to say good bye including my oldest son.We brought him home & buried him in the back yard. My son placed a picture of him & his brother in the box & gave him one last kiss. It's only a cat but we are all so sad & miss him terribly.

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