Charlie’s
Most
Excellent Adventure
Kittens everywhere.
The phone rang one evening in April 1994 right after dinner. My Daughter called, obviously distressed, because some of the kids in her neighborhood had been playing and found a litter of newborn kittens. They were huddled under a car, soaking wet from having a hose turned on them and in danger of dying. Since she had to work the next day she asked me to Kitten sit. I agreed and early the next morning she arrived with a big box trailing a cord from a heating pad. The first thing she said was “where can I plug them in?” She had her vet on constant phone contact since we were both new to this and wanted to do everything correctly. We were deluged with information and somehow these four kittens lived and thrived. They also opened up an entire new world to me. One in which Feral Cats slink around at night, hiding in the shadows afraid to be seen. One in which people called constantly saying they had found kittens and what should they do now? I joined a non-profit group (and later left to form my own) that dealt with feral cats. I was strictly a newborn caretaker and soon found out there is no shortage of kittens abandoned by their mom and left all alone in fields, under or in Dumpsters or just dropped in parking lots. I was astonished at the lack of information for caregivers and started a web site dealing with newborn kitten care. There is a correct way to feed these babies, a set temperature they should be kept at and it helps if you are able to inject fluids into and tube feed them.
In the spring of 1995 I had been trapping Feral Cats for a woman who, desperate for help, had contacted me. They were trapped, spayed/neutered, health checked, vaccinated and returned to live their lives out on her property. Early one morning, in May, I got a call from her. She had found a small kitten and wanted him to have the best care possible. I drove to her house and she met me with a small box. Inside, wrapped up in blankets, was a very tiny trembling ball of what looked to be a kitten. I took him home, bathed him, blew him dry and discovered the cutest little baby kitten with a very round little head; ergo Charlie brown.
Charlie
was the poster boy for ill baby kittens. He was determined to die and I was
determined he would stay. To my great joy he stayed but not without a lot of
intervention. He had contacted the Herpes Virus from his mom and it showed in
his right eye. He was just two weeks old when I got him and, due to illness,
soon started on a three times a day round of medicines. He was given Saline
fluid injections, antibiotics and eyes meds. Because of the course of medicines
Charlie spent a lot of time being held. He nursed well, in fact, loved his
bottle. At 4 weeks of age the other kittens I had were starting to eat from a
dish. Charlie would not hear of it so he got a bottle. At 6 weeks of age the
kittens were playing, using the litter box and were fairly independent. Charlie
was playing and using the litter box and still nursing from a bottle. We took to
The spring melted into summer, Kittens were adopted and new ones came in, Charlie stayed. He had a lot of competition for the most favored spot on the bed, next to Dad. Euphanie, a rather large Snowshoe Cat, who had been with us since 8 weeks of age, was firmly entrenched on the pillow next to Dad’s head. Right next to (and guarding him) was my orange Persian, Bert Lahr. Bert was 11 years younger than Euphanie and 6 years older then Charlie. I must give Charlie credit – he persevered and used his previous illness as it suited him. Who ever said Cats were not smart just did not meet Charlie. He would lie at the foot of the bed gazing solemnly at the most coveted spot, which he thought should be his. I know he was planning his assault, biding his time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to move in. When he caught his Dad’s eye he would paw a bit at his own previously infected eye and hang his head down. He did not give up his spot on the bed for 4 years while he waited for Euphanie’ to move on or out.
One evening, as we were watching Euphanie, we noticed he had slowed down considerably and we knew, at age 19 ½, he was coming to the end of this life. We kept a close eye on him for the next couple of weeks. He was, after all, our oldest baby. Euphanie had a stroke one night and ended up dragging his back leg. Wow – no way to live we both agreed and made an appointment. We both took him to our Vet and were with him when the shot was administered. Of-course we both cried but we knew he had the best life – always full, never cold and never lonely. Bert missed him terribly and was in a funk for a few weeks. He had no interest in claiming any part of the bed and this is when Charlie made his move.
Charlie becomes a “Perm”
After we lost Euphanie, and what Charlie deemed an acceptable time of mourning, he started creeping up from the bottom of the bed into the most prized position. Charlie was determined to become the “top dog” in this house of cats. He would situate himself right between us, put his head on what ever pillow was available and go to sleep. Some time, during the night, he would climb onto my pillow, right above my head and slip his paw into my hand. Every night, the minute we got into bed, Charlie would situate himself on Chris’ chest and just gaze into his eyes. It can be a bit unnerving to have a cat’s complete devotion to you but he and Chris were completely attuned to each other. He was a very busy kitten establishing his place in our hearts. He, very slowly but surely, grew into what became known as “Dad’s most special Angel with four legs”.
He was the only cat allowed in Chris’ office. Because Chris had business dealings in Singapore one of the numbers programmed into his phone went directly to an office there. Another went to his Mothers home in Redding (about 300 miles north of us). One night, while we were sitting in the living room watching a movie, Chris heard a business associate in Singapore saying, over and over, Hello?? He got up and ran into his office only to find Charlie sitting on the phone, Meow? He took care of that call but a few nights later we heard his Mom saying Chris? Is that you? Once again the answer was a distinct Meow. Charlie was running up a heck of a phone bill…
One of his most endearing traits was saved for his Dad. Every night when Chris came home he would unlock the door and walk in and Charlie would come flying at him from various hiding places landing right in his arms. Even when expecting it having a 15-pound cat land suddenly in your arms is a bit unnerving. He always made us laugh though. Until arthritis got the best of his back legs Charlie would always sit in front of us and once he caught our eye (and sometimes when he didn’t) he would jump up fully expecting us to catch him. When our son came over Charlie would immediately leap into his arms. Daniel was ever vigilant and always caught him. In the mornings, while I drank coffee and read the paper, Charlie might be draped across the back of my neck. He was definitely a people cat. He preferred our company to the other cats that lived with us. At night he considered it his duty to “clear” the bed of any who dared to venture there. We would not allow him to bother Bert simply because Bert was getting on in years and deserved some rest so he was respectful of Bert but no one else.
As he grew older he would patiently sit on the front windowsill and watch for his Dad to come home. (Yes I did often feel like a third wheel.) One summer day we were having a Freezer delivered. Charlie was, as usual, confined to the house and took his place on the windowsill. When the deliverymen came into the yard with the freezer. Charlie started pawing desperately at the window. One of the men looked up and waved back. Charlie kept pawing, getting more excited and the man kept waving saying, Joe – come and see this. Joe! You just gotta see this cat – he’s waving at me. Then turning to me he asked how I taught my cat to wave. I just looked at Charlie and said, “It was easy, he likes people.” Charlie had gained, yet another fan. But now it was time to venture further out.
Charlie Discovers the Yard.
It wasn’t long before Charlie had convinced his Dad he needed to explore the yard and all those wonderful things he had been watching. Chris would carry him around the yard, always draped over his left shoulder pointing out roses and bugs and all manner of crawly things. Charlie was delighted and absolutely intrigued by the squirrels that lived there. Chris would take him out and set him down and Charlie would run, with wild abandon throughout the front and back yards, chasing shadows and butterflies. He was truly in his element. He was so devoted to his Dad that wherever Chris was, Charlie would be right behind him. I would say, at least once a day, “Who needs a dog”? The only time he got confused as to where to go was when one of us was watching a movie in the bedroom and the other was watching something different in the living room. Charlie used to go between the two rooms as if to say “Why can’t you guys watch the same thing”?
We have a six-foot fence with a two-foot basket weave on top of that going around our house, combining the front and back yards. One of his favorite things to do was hop onto the hot tub and then the top of the fence, strutting along and surveying all that was his. One afternoon Charlie was “walking the perimeter” or circling the house. He was walking down the front of the house and looking very smug when a squirrel came racing down the fence toward him. Charlie stopped short and just stared, unsure of how to handle this sudden turn of events. The Squirrel knew exactly what to do – he stood up on his two hind legs and proceeded to slap Charlie silly. Charlie fell off the fence, hanging on by one paw and squealing loudly for help. Chris saw the entire episode and rushed to help his baby down. The Squirrel just looked, shook his head and continued on his way.
The only problem with the fence was that Charlie could get up but once there he pretended he was stuck until Dad came along and lifted him down. He just would not get off the fence. So when he walked around to where I could see him through the kitchen window I would call Chris and he would walk out to “save” his darling. Charlie would see him coming and patiently wait till he got right under him, then when Chris patted his shoulder Charlie would jump onto it hanging on tightly.
We had Fourth of July bar-b-q's, Birthday parties or just “lets get together’ gatherings. These were inevitably held on our patio and Charlie was always in the midst of everyone. People just naturally gravitated to Charlie, possibly because he insisted on it. Chris and I just accepted it as being Charlie and if our guests objected to him they were free to leave. When all was said and done this house was as much our Cat’s as it was ours. We were not banishing our beloved companions to a room alone in order to make a visitor happy. That was not going to happen
Every so often Charlie would slip out the door at night. This was a definite no! Chris and I spent some evenings out with flashlights searching the park, the garage and every nook and cranny we could think of. Then we would come home to find Charlie waiting on our front porch with the "where HAVE you been?” look…. but he always managed to charm himself back into our good graces.
Charlie branches out.
Charlie really became our good will ambassador. …. This boy was not content with winning our hearts, he needed everyone to love him and everyone did. If anyone came over Charlie was always front and center, greeting him or her. When there was a knock at the door, he was always the first one at hand and when they walked in he would greet them. When people came to our home he would situate himself on the breakfast bar and nuzzle them. Because I have a non-profit Kitten rescue organization a lot of Kittens came in for shots or pictures. He usually ignored the kittens and went straight for the people. At Christmas he was always in the middle of the wrappings. One would think he had shopped, paid for and wrapped each gift himself.
One weekend I had two girlfriends visiting from out of town. When they arrived they only knew of Charlie through the computer. Their second night here we had a spaghetti dinner and as we sat down to eat Charlie climbed up to his usual spot on the table. My friend Ann was eating Spaghetti and Garlic Bread when Charlie poked his head into her dish. Ann is an animal person and they shared dinner that night. He had made another conquest! (The big ham!) Chris walked by and looked in the kitchen to see this and said “Hey! Charlie is not allowed on the table.” We laughed because this was no fluke. It was pretty obvious he had been quite used to sharing dinner for a long time.
Not long after this he picked up some sort of germ. He got very ill, not eating etc. After a few days on Antibiotics it became obvious he needed more experienced care than I could give him. He was admitted to our Animal clinic where they have a Doctor on duty 24/7 and an ICU ward. Charlie spent 3 long days in the hospital but I was able to visit and bring him toys that were rubbed on us and therefore had our scent. His first afternoon there I was halfway in his cage with my cell phone dialed home so his Dad could talk to him when his Doctor walked in. She just looked at me and laughed. In my desperation to see him get better I promised him a turkey (his very favorite) all his own if only he would do as the Doctors said and be able to come home. He did get better and was released. I picked him up and brought him home to a celebration and, true to my word, bought and roasted a 16-pound turkey just for him. He was a generous guy and shared it with all the cats AND us!
Was that a sneeze?
After Charlie celebrated his 12th birthday he stopped being able to jump into our arms. It seemed arthritis and age were starting to show on him but we did not consider him old at all. Our cats all lived to be 18-20 years old. But he never ever tired of being carried around, always draped over Dad’s left shoulder. Around March of 2008 he started sneezing. At first it was just a few times a night but as the month went on he sneezed more and more. We took him to the Vet thinking he had some foreign object in his nose. Tests were run and he was examined from tip to tail. We brought him back home and waited for the Doctor to call. She made the call a day later but the news was not something we could just pass off. The date was April 8, 2008. Charlie had a malignant tumor in his nose. This was the most devastating phone call I had ever gotten. There was dead silence on the phone after she told me – I simply did not believe it. Are you sure I asked? Yes she gently replied. I immediately went into my save at all costs mode and asked what we could do. Again, a very gentle voice telling me nothing can be done. Charlie has between 2 and 12 weeks to live. We can make him comfortable with Pain meds and Steroids to possibly shrink the tumor but this is a terminal illness. Somewhat in shock I thanked her, hung up and went into Chris’ office. He and Charlie were in there, Chris, working on his computer, and Charlie draped across the back of his neck looking over his shoulder. I talked to the Doctor I announced. Charlie looked over at me and Chris swiveled in his chair. Charlie has malignant tumor in his nose and only 2 to 12 weeks left. By this time tears were running down my face and I whirled around and left them sitting there. Chris came out after me, full of questions but as the Doctor told me, there was really very little to be done and definitely no heroic measures were available. We certainly would not take that prognosis sitting down and scheduled an appointment for Charlie with an oncologist. This was just another way of us spinning our wheels on the way to accepting Charlie’s prognosis. He could have radiation that would shrink the tumor but, (there is always a but) this would only last 2 – 3 weeks at best and then need to be repeated. Again we would have done this however he would need to be put under anesthesia every time and his childhood herpes had left him with a weakened heart. So we packed our boy up and took him home again. Once we knew what we were dealing with we developed a routine. When I got up in the morning I wiped Charlie’s nose and gave him steroids. Chris gave him his pain meds and he was taken outside. As long as Charlie was with his Dad he was happy. The pain meds did, however, constipate him pretty badly. We certainly got to know that boy inside and out. We put morning enemas into our routine. Chris got to hold his head and I got the other end. We finally got the mixture right and once everything was in we would hide in the garage, peeking out to see if he went. At times I thought we must be the strangest couple on earth but then I would see Charlie and think no, he is SO worth all this. He had a spot, near the front steps, where the dirt was very soft that he would use for his litter box, which really surprised us. (Charlie was our guy who would stop playing to go in the house and use the litter box then go back outside to play) Every couple of hours one of us would rake the dirt to see if he had done anything. We kept that particular plot of ground in pristine condition for him. No flowers were to be planted there; it was now Charlie’s litter box. In June, for Fathers day, Charlie bought his Dad a Weeping Willow Tree. How did he know one was wanted and how did he manage to purchase it? I have NO idea. Then, suddenly, it was the middle of May and time to start planning our yearly trip to Yosemite.
No good can come of this.
Yosemite is truly God’s country. One cannot help but be in awe while there, drinking in the spectacular scenery and wild life. We are tent campers and fully enjoy the week we spend there. We go with our Children and their families and meet friends there. This year, however, the trip presented a big problem, that being Charlie. We were really at a crossroads – we could not leave him, his care involved way too much. Was it time to say our final goodbye? Chris held tight and said no. I thought about it for a few days and then suggested to Chris that we bring Charlie along and just make it an excellent adventure. This had been Chris’ plan from the very beginning and once I was on board we started planning quite seriously. I called the vet and she prescribed extra steroids and pain meds for us to take along. We had a harness and leash, food and water bowls and his carrier. This would curtail some of our activities but neither one of us cared a bit. Our daughter listened to our plans, shook her head and said no good could come of this. We paid absolutely no attention to her and went ahead with our plans. We packed the car so Charlie would be able to sit right between, looking out the window from his carrier.
We started out early in the morning and Charlie was very happy to be starting on this new adventure. As long as we were there with him he was a content guy. He rode all the way up to Yosemite without saying one meow. He seemed to be in his element. Throughout the week, when Charlie had a good moment we would both smile and say to each other, “see? He loves this trip." We have a screen room that sits over a picnic table and provides both shade and protection from any flying insects. Charlie sat in there with us and just became a lazy camper. All he really needed was a beer and a girlie magazine. This boy was in his prime. We did not miss out on activities because of him. He took afternoon naps in our tent and this is when we would hike or raft or ride our bikes around Yosemite. His routine did take up some of our time which we certainly never begrudged him.. He had his medication schedule from which we never veered. Early every morning he would walk with his Dad through the meadow our campsite backed up to. I must add, this is really not an ideal vacation for most cats but as you may have guessed our Charlie was not like most cats. Any of our other cats would have run the minute they had the chance. Charlie would not leave our side. If he started out Chris would simply say Charlie, come back here and he would turn and obediently trot back to Chris’ side. His leash and harness were discarded after his first wearing of them. Charlie wasn’t going anywhere. He did not have the strength or the initiative.
When you enter Yosemite you are given literature telling about Bear activity and how to avoid having Bears in your campsite. The best part of Charlie’s trip came one night about midnight. We had a mother Bear and her two cubs in camp with us. What caused this family to visit us that night remains a mystery but it was a perfect ending to our week. Charlie slept in our tent, which was zipped closed, but he woke right up and between him screaming like a girl and our neighbors beating on pots we were all awake. We had a clothesline strung between two trees with a bag of dirty laundry hanging from it. A Mother Bear had sent her cubs up each of the trees to inspect the bag, see if there was any food secured in it and take it. While she got her cubs down and made their get away Charlie was going nuts. What a story he had to tell the guys when we got back home. (I’m betting he embellished it and made himself the hero who saved us all) He ran around and round the air mattress looking out each window in the tent. Chris was hanging on to him trying to calm him – this couldn’t be good for a guy who had trouble breathing but it was an adventure like no other.
Time to say Good-bye….
We got home from Yosemite around the end of June. It had now been 2 months since the diagnosis and according to the timetable we were given we had just weeks left. Chris asked me one morning what I thought and I told him I was hoping for September. He agreed and we went on with Charlie’s daily care. His nose got a bit more difficult to clean but it had to be done so he could breathe. We both walked around with Kleenex in our pocket. We stayed very close to home that summer and entertained at home rather than go out and leave our boy. We found a stool softener that was easier on him than the enemas and were able to cut those out of the daily maintenance. July passed into August and then September and Charlie started getting worse. He would lie on me every afternoon and just lightly doze. Chris came home twice a day to take him for walks around the yard. He would pick him up, drape him over his left shoulder and off they would go, inspecting every Rose and bug they found. Getting Chris to let go of Charlie was, I knew, going to be a fight. I am very involved in Kitten rescue and have long had the attitude that any living thing will let you know when it is time. The hard part would be getting Chris to admit it was time for Charlie. They had such a deep bond.
Eyes are a very sensitive part of ones anatomy. If an eyelash hurts ones eye imagine how a tumor feels. I was horrified to see this insidious illness creeping into my Charlie’s eye. I would do anything to save this boy but I would not allow him to be in pain. Chris and I were always on the same page with Charlie but here was our first argument over him. He insisted he knew Charlie better than anyone and would know if
he was in pain. I insisted that he take a good look at the tumor and then tell me it wasn’t painful to Charlie. We see-sawed back and forth on this for about a week, both of us getting more upset. We were, as it turns out, not upset at each other but at the thought of losing this very special boy. Towards the end of September we made the appointment with one of our Favorite Dr.’s at Adobe Animal Clinic. We took him in on a Friday night, September 21st. Chris walked around and around the building with him while I made sure a room was ready for us. Then we brought him in and he was, once again, examined. Then he was put on a warm towel on the table and the shot was injected into him. He passed quickly as they always do with this procedure and I just leaned over him and sobbed. Women have it so much easier than men in these instances. Men need to feel in control and not shed a tear. Chris got me out of there as quickly as possible and once we were back in the car we both cried. These were selfish tears though. Charlie was no longer in pain or subjected to getting rounds of meds daily.
As for us? We had 5 additional wonderful and exclusive months with our boy, a most excellent adventure and Charlie's tree grows in our yard. But we sure do miss you Charlie Brown!
