Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Ming Moves On

My cat, Ming, featured in prior posts (here, here and here) during what became a regular routine of daily walks through the garden last December, passed away yesterday.  I like to think he's joined his litter-mate, Max, who we lost to congestive heart failure more than 5 years ago.  They were inseparable from kittenhood in 2001 until 2008.

Ming up front, Max behind on their screened porch at our old house

They frequently slept together and got into trouble together (my husband called them the Destruction Duo)

Although they looked so innocent

Just like bookends
My favorite picture - Ming reaching down toward Max from atop the cat tree my husband built for them





Ming didn't have the same kind of close relationship with Pipig even though she treated him as the alpha-cat, just like Max did.




Ming held onto life longer than I expected once it became clear that his decline was irreversible.   He remained his stubborn self, even as he grew frailer and frailer.  I credit the daily walks we took for that as much, if not more, than the medications, vitamin shots, and near-constant feedings he received.  If I was out in the garden, he wanted to be out there too and he would let me know it as only a Siamese cat can.

Ming loudly protesting his incarceration inside the house with Pipig standing meekly by



The fountain became his favorite water dish.




He stalked birds and squirrels in the backyard, even though he never came close to catching one.




He stalked lizards in the shrubbery.






He never caught one of those either - unless you count the hapless fellow foolish enough to venture into his screened porch.

He expected me to follow him, wherever he chose to go, but he'd usually wait up for me if I lagged behind.




And if I sat down, he'd usually jump into my lap.




I'm going to miss my garden companion.




26 comments:

  1. Oh Kris, I'm so sorry for your loss! This post is a great tribute to your very special feline child. You've been such a good cat mom and were very lucky that Max and Ming chose to spend what little lifespan they had with you. May warm thoughts of your all to brief time together help to comfort you at this sad time. http://www.rainbowbridge.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Peter. Max was undeniably the sweetest cat I've ever shared a home with. Ming was always difficult but I loved him nonetheless and miss him very much. I hope I will indeed see them both at the rainbow bridge someday.

      Delete
  2. Oh…I am so sorry. I'm sure Ming felt loved and treasured throughout his life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so sorry. Your other cats may go through a mourning period, too, as you no doubt know. It's so hard, but it looks like Ming was able to enjoy his last time as much as possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Barbara. Pipig is an only cat now and, although I think she misses Ming, she doesn't seem as disturbed as Ming was when we lost his litter-mate, Max. I'm giving her extra attention.

      Delete
  4. So sorry to hear that Kris. Ming was an adorable and I can imagine how much you'll miss him. You've been great at taking care of him and you have some many wonderful memories of your feline companion to treasure. Thoughts are with you x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mark & Gaz. I already miss those daily walks Ming and I took through the garden.

      Delete
  5. Oh Kris, my heart is breaking with you. Your affection for your gardening companion/trouble-maker is so apparent in your writing. I've really enjoyed the posts you've done recently where you took walks around the garden with him. He and his brother Max were both beautiful cats. They worm their way into our hearts, and laps, and leave us devastated when they move on. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know you've been through this kind of loss yourself, Alison. I've been through it before as well but that doesn't make it any easier. Thanks for your kindness.

      Delete
  6. I'm so sorry for your loss. I could always tell how much you treasured Ming in your posts. Warm thoughts to you...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good vibes to you Kris, I'm waving to your friend Ming as he crosses the rainbow ridge. I too have a very elderly cat , who has been an important companion to me for close to 15 years, and dread the day he leaves us. Ming and Max were handsome boys, and luckier than many of the felines in our world. ((Kris))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kathy. I still have a vivid recollection of the day I adopted Max and Ming from a rescue operation. They were sick from the start (my vet at the time told me to take them back) and I almost lost Ming 2x in the 1st year so I'm thankful for the time I had with each of them, short as it was.

      Delete
  8. Damn, I'm so sorry. Everyone else is so good at saying the right things but I just get all teary eyed and don't know what to say. Loosing a furry kid is just to hard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It means a lot that you empathize to that degree, Loree. Thanks for caring.

      Delete
  9. Oh it is so sad, Kris. big kiss from Paris

    ReplyDelete
  10. I' m so sorry Kris, to hear you have lost your beautiful cat. Our pets, (in my case, it is my dog Pip,) are so much a part of the life of our gardens. They know the garden as intimately as we do; it is their world too. You are going to miss him so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Chloris. Ming was an indoor cat for most of his life (not counting his periodic escapes) but he clearly enjoyed his daily jaunts in the garden during the last several months. Coyotes are a big problem here, even during the daytime, so my small companion could only go out with supervision.

      Delete
  11. Very sorry for the loss of your beautiful Ming. Losing them is the price we must pay for all that beauty, love, and delight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Hoover Boo. You're right - each loss creates a vacancy in the heart.

      Delete
  12. I am so sorry to hear about Ming. We lost one of our cats a couple of years ago and our 2 remaining cats just turned 16, and I can't imagine our day without them. Was Ming a Snowshoe or Siamese cross? Our family ended up with a Birman cat who had 3 kittens (accident) and one looked and acted exactly like a Snowshoe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sweetbay. According to the rescue operation I adopted them from, Ming and Max were Lynx Point Siamese, a classification not recognized in the US (where they're officially classified as Colorpoint Shorthairs). There was clearly Siamese parentage there - you could tell it every time Ming opened his mouth.

      Delete
  13. What friends they seem to have been!
    It is so sad when a pet dies.
    They're like buddies.
    best regards
    Mariana

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.