A Very Sad Week...

Our very dear almost 16 year old cat, Oliver died very early Sunday morning, August 6th. Only 8 pounds left of his healthier 16 pound weight. He had started to look like the kitten that we adopted from Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society in August of 1991. Rich and I had only been together a few months when we got him, and Oliver only strengthened our small family bond. He remained our baby until 1993 when we adopted our second cat Zoe, then later our dogs, Izzy and Alice. He was always a little miffed that we kept adding to our family, but he enjoyed the daily annoyance of these other beloved pets. He was with us as we moved from Weed Street to Fulton, to Campbell to Oakley, each transition always traumatic for him. It's a blessing he left before the the move to Washtenaw as I think that probably would have put him over the edge. In his younger days he was an amazing jumper and he loved to chase shadows across the wall. In 2002 he made his press debut in the  City Link Newspaper Newspaper. He was my witness and companion as I went from setting up an art studio in a tiny little closet to building my art business to what it is today. He would always come traipsing through my studio whenever I was trying to photograph a painting on the floor...the end of his tail often gracing the photos. It was getting pretty boring around here when Alice showed up as a 12 week old puppy in 2004. I think she probably prolonged his life, the two of them would spend hours engaging each other one at the top and the other at the bottom of the stairs - Alice yipping and every now and then a snarl or a hiss from the OL Man. He was an indoor cat but loved to go outside and eat grass...only to come in later and throw up....Izzy and Alice were always happy to take care of the mess!  He had these amazing little tufts of fur on the tips of his ears and he loved to have them pulled. It is so hard to say goodbye, these creatures come into our lives and do nothing but love us, without emotional baggage, no memories of anger or hurt only love and companionship. Not that he didn’t have a feisty personality, he would sidle up to me to be pet only to bite me a few minutes later when he had enough ...then return 10 minutes later for another round. I guess we've had our final round, we will miss you dear boy...

Comments

[claudine hellmuth]

hi there! I am so sorry to hear of your loss. we lost our 3 year old kitty Maggie a month ago due to sudden illness, so I know how you feel. My heart goes out to you!
xxxox

[Jolene]

Oh, my dear friend Anne. I am so sorry to hear about Ollie. He was a little trooper. I am thinking of you. He'll keep my little old Squirt company now...
All my love,
Jolene

[gayle prete]

anne,
so sorry to hear of your loss. it is so sad to let our friends go. but ollie is at the rainbow bridge with chili daug, and goodyear, and many others. they bring such love into our lives. we would never be the same without them.
gayle and jim

[gayle prete]

anne,
so sorry to hear of your loss. it is so sad to let our friends go. but ollie is at the rainbow bridge with chili daug, and goodyear, and many others. they bring such love into our lives. we would never be the same without them.
gayle and jim

[leslie]

anne,
i'm so sorry to hear about oliver. he was such a sweet little guy. hugs to you and rich.
leslie

[Max]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your Ollie cat Anne. I have a very old cat named OJ who's about 15 now with failing health. I'm dreading the day when he'll no longer be with us... Take care & I hope your other animal buddies will give you lots of comfort.
Aloha, Leanne

[Alyson B. Stanfield]

Oh, wow! Here I was mourning Miki and you lost your love. May you bask in the warmth of his memory.

[Ann Allen]

Hi Anne...
Just read about Ollie and I am so so sorry! I had 2 Siamese kitties who died at ripe old ages 16 and 18 - and it is the only time that 16 and 18 years seems like the blink of an eye.

I am sorry for your loss and just wanted you to know.
Ann

[GIna]

I am so sorry for your loss. It is the hardest thing to deal with the fact that we usually outlive or dear furry family members. I had the pleasure of meeting Ollie briefly once in the closet of your studio at one of your open houses. He will be missed! Find peace in the wonderful 16 years you had together and the memories that will always be with you.

[linda koehl]

Anne
Bill and I are so sad to learn about the loss of Ollie. He was a special kitty. Linda Koehl