Richard Parker Obit (2015)

I could live my whole life without a phone call the likes of which I had today...

Sunday morning, May 3 2015, Kate and I were awakened to that phone call. Larry, our veterinarian, was calling to bear the sad news that Richard Parker, our buddy and travelling companion, had passed away in the night while in post operative care. Richard had been ill with several emergency interventions over the last month but we were not prepared for this. We were both heartbroken by the news. Richard was in his 4th year and will be missed.

Richard Parker and his sister Piscine Patel (both named after characters from the “Life of Pi”) came into our life in August of 2011 as foundlings from a litter that had been abandoned on the streets of St Marys. We happily adopted these two survivors into our home and our life -- they in turn brought us great joy and comfort.

While all cats are special, Richard was especially special. He was the cat that would greet us (and any visitors) at the door and would cheerfully come when called. He loved to be the centre of attention. He liked to have his tummy scratched and to be told how special he was. He purred on demand and would cuddle in bed with you when you needed it most. He loved people and people loved him -- even people who weren’t fond of cats.

Richard and Piscine have been travel companions on our winter trips to Austin Texas the last three years. While it would not be true to say they were great travellers, they would settle down after a couple of hours and were comfortable with motels and life on the road. They enjoyed their winter vacations in our Austin cottage with a yard to play in away from the snow and cold of Ontario. They became seasoned travellers.

We both miss Richard Parker, our especially special orange tabby, our travelling companion and our buddy.

.... and I feel like Hank Williams tonight.

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Ps. this was posted to Facebook back in 2015. I've reposted on my blog June, 2018.