Goodbye Cooper

Goodbye Cooper

Cooper ( a while ago around 2013)

This week we said goodbye to another one of our resident pets.
Cooper was an inherited cat that we took in from a friend when she was dying. He was already close to 17 years old at that time and she said she couldn't have him put down as he wasn't ready to go .He was still very active.

We certainly found that out. He had always lived with other cats but never dogs so he treated the dogs in our family , just like he would treat the cats which means he would give them all a very direct stare from his beautiful blue eyes and No Pets would intimidate him. He was the Boss!
I can't say any of the cats, all female, really liked him but they tolerated him and found it just easier to keep out of his way. Occasionally there would be hissy , noisy fights but the other cats usually just ran off and being younger than Cooper, could move faster.

There was no doubt Cooper was a beautiful cat with his long white fur and blue, blue eyes. He never seemed to clean his coat like most cats do and within a short while I realized visits to the groomer were going to be necessary. Most times he would have to be shaved right down to his skin as the fine hair would just be so tangled up. It was hard on him and he hated the groomer as his back end and legs certainly had arthritis and it must have been very uncomfortable for him as he was being bathed and shaved. I bet the groomer hated him as well as although he couldn't scratch as he was declawed, he certainly would bite to get his way.

There was no doubt he was  a character. He got used to going out in the yard following the same route around the house each time.He would even go under the decks sometimes where the armadillos hang out. I wonder what they thought of him? 
He would also let out blood curdling yowls from time to time. a favorite time being in the middle of the night. This was not a cat you could ever keep in an apartment.We never understood why this happened.

I had noticed he seemed to be slowing down and was very irritable for the last week or so. He was getting close to 20 years old and was  losing his appetite yet demanding food at ever moment that he actually didn't eat . It wasn't until I saw these photos from about 3 years ago I realized how much weight he had also lost. But his disappearance and presumed death was still quite unexpected.

I got up in the morning and there was just no Cooper anymore.I thought he must have gone for an early morning walk, which he often did but sadly he didn't return. We looked all over for him and there was not the slightest sign of him- not a tiny piece of white hair anywhere, We asked the neighbors as well but  eventually realized sadly he had gone somewhere to pass on. 
We have had a few cats do this now.He had decided that it was now time to go and so he went. No fuss. This is what independent cats do.

 It is always sad when this happens but Cooper had had a good life and we will certainly remember him with love.