Alexander the Grey(t), My Friend, Part I .....8/22/12

      I'm bumping up the following story. It was written a year and four months ago.  It's the second most read post of all time.  Here's a a secret I'll let you in on: whenever I read it, I

cry. That's how much the little guy in this story meant to me. 

      Tonight will be different.  I figure it's time for an improvement. This posting is the first in a series of posts I wrote about my relationship with a furry, curmudgeonly friend. 

      So, pull up seat from among the chairs in the inn, the innkeeper will tell you a story, in hopes that it may help you know him a bit better. My gratitudes follow this story. 

       I've been spending time with Alexander (click here, or here, for more stories about him and me), a dying, fifteen-and-a-half year old cat. He's gone from heavy to thin: he weighs less than seven pounds.[6/8/11 Update: 5 five pounds.] Five years ago he was truly a fat cat: 22.5 lbs.  

       At that time he considered himself a Fat Cat, pushing himself around, as he strolled among us, mere humans.  At that time, people seeing him would declare, "Look at the size of that cat!!"   My thoughts were, "I could at least make twenty tamales out of him, if I just could be alone with him, in a back alley."

       He's not mine, but he's attracted to me. His breed is a loyal-to-one-person type of cat. His owner isn't happy with that fact, but, that's life. He jumps up, sort of, and  eventually lays by my side, pressing against me, when he sees me.

       There's something precious about Alex's efforts. When I'm not around, he doesn't move from his perch on his cat-pillow that's topped with an electrically heated blanket. (Did I tell you, he's spoiled?)  Now, he just lays on his side, one paw dangling over the side of his cushion. Alex can't walk much; four or five steps he'll take, then lays on his side. The muscles of his hind legs are giving out; their not nourished.  Nowadays, Mr. Grey is unable to eat. The vet gave him three months to live, last January.  He's not ready to go, yet.

      He gets shots of famotidine and pepcid for indigestion, clindamiacin for a cryptococcal fungus infection that has traveled to his nose, making it difficult for Alexander to breathe. He takes baytril for herpes. Intravenously, twice, daily, for more than two years,  he's received fluids, due to renal failure.

       Yet, he's a regal-looking cat that gives looks that can still kill.  Even in his enfeebled condition, Alex still stares down other cats. They slink away, even though they are three times his present weight.     

       It was startling finding out that Russians at one time hunted them, at Archangel Island, their original homeland, near the Arctic Circle.  They were prized for their double insulated, seal-like fur.

      Yet, when I drop by, this Russian Blue rises from his death bed. We have a routine. Slowly, deliberately----with each step, there's the possibility he may fall---he walks towards me. His efforts are labored.  Now, Alex is unsuccessful, when he tries jumping up on the living room couch.  He wants to sit next to me.  His rear legs lack the strength to jump. He ends up stuck on the edge of the couch, his head, two paws and his upper body rests on the seat.

      By his bottom, I pull Alex up. He snuggles his sickness-ravaged body against my right thigh. Against me, this pure grey silvery-tipped feline rests his now-boney butt.  It tugs at my heart seeing this cat pouring out his last full measures of affection. His breed, is not vocal. But he certainly communicates that he owns me.  He does---he's won my heart.

     I'm thankful for simple pleasures. And, I'm humbled by the connection Alexander the Grey(t) and I share, as well as the kindness he demonstrates towards me.
        You can read more about the friendship Alexander and I shared here.
My Gratitudes for Tonight   8/23/12
1.  I'm thankful I have my voice.  

      Today, I expressed concerns I had with someone who's dear to me.  I was not able to do that, years ago. I didn't know how. 
      I love the freedom I enjoy, it allows me to be who I am.  No longer do I base my self-worth on what I do or what other people think of me. 
      I have a Great Big Life, one where I can speak what's on my mind, yet do so with kindness and respect towards others, at the same time. It's taken years reaching this level of communication, and lots of hard work. But it has been the greatest thing I've ever done, worth every penny of effort---investing in my personal growth. 
2.  I met with friends this evening, twice.  My was it nice. I encountered and spoke with a woman I hadn't seen in a year. We had diverged in two different directions since then. 
     I'm thankful for the closeness, companionship and empathy I had with my early evening friends.  My, such moments makes life rich and satisfying. 
3.  Afterwards, after hanging out with my early evening friends, some of us from that group went to a restaurant and spent the late evening together. 
    I've been pretty happy lately. I was effusive tonight. I regaled with them some "juicy" information about me. 
    Wouldn't you like to know!   One thing I told them was why I have the thick and full head of hair I have.  And no, it isn't because of any treatment.  It's related to something that happened to me while my mother was pregnant with me. Sounds strange, doesn't it? 
4. I rode my bike today. A day doesn't feel normal, now, if I don't ride it.  I'm glad my body feels great and I celebrate my health and vibrancy I feel about life. 
5. I will take care of loose ends tomorrow, necessary stuff I need to do. I'm grateful for discipline and focus.