I am the Invisible Man!!

I am the Invisible Man!!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ode to Bob

Long ago, in a universe just like this one, my sister got a cat and named him after her current boyfriend, calling him "Baby (Insert any generic boy's name here, because I wish to be honorable and not mention his name)." I refused to call the cat this, and instantly renamed him Bob. Not to brag, but it seemed to me besides my sister, everyone called the cat Bob.

Bob was a great cat. Everything you expect from a cat when you go to the pet store or animal shelter to get one. He was completely self-sufficient, eventually to the point where he never came inside apart from 5 to 10 minute spurts when he just wanted water or warmth.

Unfortunately, Bob was hit by a car a few weeks ago, and even though I only saw glimpses of him running around outside, or squeaking in and out of the house, I have started to notice the differences in my new Bob-less world. First, let me preface the next part of this story by saying, not too many birds, squirrels or mice used to ever dare roam around or near my house. I can't count how many times I've either seen Bob taking down one of the previous mentioned animals, or seen our dogs fighting over his leftovers.

The other day I literally counted 40+ birds congregating on the front lawn, as well as recently spotting anywhere between 2 and 5 squirrels using the tree in our front yard as their base of operation. While I was counting birds I couldn't help but to smile, which as of late with school and work being really hectic, along with not seeing my friends much at all, has not happened much.

The first thought that popped into my head after counting the birds was, "I hope there are birds and squirrels in Cat heaven, otherwise Bob is going to be really pissed off." For a cat that would rarely let you get close to him, and even more rarely ever pet him, Bob and his death had a rather profound impact on me, and my feelings about the positive light that can be placed on death.

Every time I see a squirrel now prancing along the front lawn, or a bird pecking on our pool deck in the back, I can't help but think that the local neighborhood fauna are rejoicing in the death of poor Bob. And that fact surprisingly makes me smile every time I think about it, because it makes me realize the tremendous impact Bob had on the area surrounding our house. Over the course of the past 5 years or so, I'm sure our house has become known to many local animals as being a death trap for any who get to close. Knowing that animals can now travel around and about my house, as I have seen since the week after Bob's passing, makes me think of Bob, and how great a cat he was.

What surprises me most is how much I think of him now, after having no real attachment to him while he was alive. I end with saying again how great a cat he was, and I hope he's having fun stalking animals of all sorts where ever his spirit is now.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your 2 cents!!

The Dingo's Bookshelf reserved for his favorites

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series
  • The Twilight series
  • The Harry Potter series
  • Fight Club
  • On the Road