My Little Pipper-doo

I realize the blog has been a bit dark as of late. Baseball Season has been a bit busy with the boys and with me riding 200 miles or more per month, my body has decided it needs sleep now. I am not exactly sure when I got old, I mean, hell, I’m in my 30′s now. Gone are the days sleeping 3-5 hours a night. When I was my oldest son’s age, I thought I’d be dead now, so  I guess I’ll take the receding hairlines, the six pack in my hand in lui of the one that used to be in my gut as it sure as hell beats the alternative. Summer is here and I plan to catch up on the blogging here over the next few weeks, Easter, Boys’ birthday, a new ride, a new addition to the family as well as a deduction. Don’t get excited as the deduction has nothing to with the addition to the family and my taxes.

I was in Vancouver last week on business and Deb mentioned as she always does, she had not seen Pip since I left. Nothing new there. He generally only showed while I was around and the boys were safely tucked away in their beds. Since I have been traveling more as of late, Pip and Deb had reconciled a bit. Not sure who instigated the reconciliation, but I am sure it was done out of necessity and was resolved like most married people couples when they fight. There may or may not have been who is right, who is wrong or an apology. One day, they fought, the next it went along as if nothing happened. Pip just hopped up next to her on the couch or in bed and she petted him, he purred, she read, they both are happy, until Daddy comes home. Then Deb gets glared at as he sits on my lap or chest in bed. Its rather amusing really.

Pip begrudgingly letting deb pet him

This weekend was different however. Pip didnt greet me Friday evening when we got home. He sometimes gets mad and waits until morning to say Hi. Well, the guest room reeked of urine when  I got home and Deb mentioned that she was washing blankets most of the week and the smell had improved. Saturday morning more of the same. Yatzee! I discovered someone had peed on a bunch of gift bags and the carpet between the wall and the bed. I found Pip hanging out under the bed, said ‘Hi’ gave him a little pet and in his way said ‘Hi’ as well. He did not move though. Which, again, really wasnt abnormal since Ethan and Bode had made their presence known to which Pip basically looked at me and said with his eyes, You think I am going there while they are out, you can suck it!’.

I was in a bit of time crunch anyhow with us running late for Bode’s game now, I threw out the bags and drenched the area with pet stain remover and pulled up most I could. After the games and dinner with friends, we got home and I dusted off the steam vac. Smelled like everything was taken care of.  Typically, when the vacuum turns on Pip turns into Usain Bolt and blows through the closest exit regardless of which one of his nemesis’s  stands in the way.

Checked in on the room on Sunday and all smelled remarkably well. Pip and I exchanged a little man love salutations. Hmmm…wierd, Pip seemingly had not moved. I guess the order of his nemesis’ had been altered. Hmmm… I thought to myself, I need to ensure I spend time with when comes to bed tonight, but he didnt show. Bastard. Now I am beginning to feel a bit slighted.

As I approach the guest room I begin to smell the urine again. So I go to get Pip from the bed while voicing my displeasure at him for not coming out to see me. I nudge his head a bit, but he doesnt move. He just looks at me with his sad eyes. So I grab for him, but I cant really reach him and he doesnt move forward to help a bratha out. I walk to the other side if the bed and push his back side and again he doesnt move. Now I know something is wrong. I work him out from under the bed, no sounds, no fighting. His backside is just kind of limp. I looked at his eyes again and I knew. I set him down and notice he is not using his back legs…at…all.

Deb had already taken Ethan to school so I asked Bode to get his food and water from the garage as now the last three days just rushed through my head and Deb mentioned that she had not seen him all week. She just assumed that Pip was coming out at night. Pip basically had not had anything to eat or drink in about five or seven days and he is not starting now.  So Deb trys to get water to Pips mouth while I quarantine the rest of his nemesis’. Nothing. it dons on me. He was hanging out under the bed and dragging himself out to pee and then draging himself back under the bed. This was his final resting place. Its time to take him to the vet, hoping that he will return with me, but knowing realistically that Pip and I would be driving the Green Mile. Deb held him in her lap while I got ready. I had Bode say goodbye and Deb too and off he and I went.

The Vet took him in and examined him and after about 5 – 7 minutes he called me in. He told me that Pip was paralyzed from his lower back down. His hind feet were ice cold. And the moron that is I responds with,  ‘With well how did this happen?’ Like he is going to know…idiot. This vet had never seen Pip, or I for that matter, prior to this and luckily I caught myself in the middle of my moronic statement and stopped. The vet smiled and had a chuckle and proceeded to tell me that Pip suffered a blood clot in his lower spine and he was paralyzed and his outlook was grave. He said that sometimes as cats age, this kind of thing happens. Basically, shit works one day, then the next…not so much.

The vet was very nice in explaining all the options though the pink elephant in the room was clearly standing there in a black trench coat and holding a scythe blade. Many things have changed in my life over the last 12 years, but one.  The Vet asked if I had ever stayed with an animal through this and I said no, but that was one of my regrets.

My boyhood dog decided to flip the switch while I was  out visiting my Dad in Hawaii and if I had the option, I would have been with him. I chose to stay with Pip to be his rock as he had been mine for the past 12 years. Pip clearly had no feeling in his hind legs. He didnt even flinch when the syringe pierced his skin and the anesthetic entered his blood stream. I said goodbye to him as he lowered his head while he enjoyed his last rub behind his ears and head. Though it was over in a matter of seconds, I stayed with him for about 10 minutes after it was complete, remembering the path we took over the years (As a side note, what the Eff is with my pets and hitting the ‘Off’ button while I am out of town. Clearly no travel for me when Jack or Finn hits 10).

When I moved to Sacramento to come up here for school, a friend at the Chilis I worked at had all these little hickey marks on her neck, fingers and hands. I looked at her and asked what the hell have you been doing?!’ She mentioned that she had a little kitty that was 3 weeks old that was abandoned behind a trash bin. He had no mother and (shockingly) liked to suck. I could only think….have you heard of a bottle or at least a boyfriend, good gravy woman! After about a week or so she could no longer keep him and was looking for someone to adopt him. Frankly, I think she had to give him up for fear the kitty was going to pop a major vessel.

We were running through names and Pip came to mind. Listen this is the late 90′s and South Park was not to be missed in a college dorm. He is the little English kid that no likes. He gets picked on and made fun of. PERFECT! True to his name, when folks came over to enjoy a tasty beverage or twelve, inevitably you would here someone shutout, ‘Dude! you cat totally loves beer!!’ Wait, what?! No he doesn’t! Sure enough, Pip would be lapping up whatever they put into his ‘water’ dish.

He wasnt much for playing or had an overly penchant for being pet, when he wanted he would walk up and attack my hand or if he was in the mood to be pet, he would just walk up plop himself on my lap and move his head under my hand. Between that and Pip running full bore into a closed sliding glass doors when he was young and knocking himself stupid is pretty much all you need to know why we got along so well.

I guess as you get older you come to appreciate those around you. Tell them you love em as when you wake up in the morning as you dont always know what the day will bring…

Bye my little Pipper-Doo, you will be missed….

ha! suckers! no one can find me here!