| In Loving Memory of Kenny |
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| Miss Kenny T (for trouble) |
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| July 18,1999-December 14, 2009 |
"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened" Anon
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Kenny came to us through a hospice lady who rescued wild, pregnant female cats, gave them a place to have their kittens and then, after spaying, let them loose in the wild. She then found homes for the kittens. This helped keep the wild cat population down and provided good, safe homes for the offspring.
Knowing we had a cat, she called Mary and tried to persuade her to take the runt and last of a litter. Mary told her she wasn't sure I would be interested in adding another animal to our little household but after much persuasion told her to bring the kitten to our office but not to get her hopes up that we would take the kitten.
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| All Eyes and Ears |
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The next thing I knew I was introduced to a not too pretty, tiny kitten that was all eyes and ears with sparse little tufts of gray hair. The little kitten took to me and soon was riding around in my pocket. I was smitten with this little homeless baby, so the hospice lady left minus one kitten and our three year old cat, Chloe, had a roommate, or so I thought.
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| Who let the cat outta the bag |
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| Cat on Board |
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| Hmm, this isn't wild mouse |
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Unfortunately, Chloe, being Queen of the house, did not appreciate us bringing home a competitor and for the next few weeks, snarled, hissed and batted Kenny around like a rubber ball. Eventually a detente was reached, but Chloe always reminded Kenny who was the "top cat."
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| That's as High as You Go |
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Coming from tough, street-wise stock, Kenny kept her distance most of the time and with love and good food she soon blossomed into a beautiful, pure black cat, except for five little white hairs on her chest.
Thanks to erroneous sexing by our friend, Betty, and an affinity for unusual animal names by our son-in-law Mouse, Kenny was a girl kitten with a boy's name. It was similar to Johnny Cash's song "a boy named Sue," and Kenny developed a personality of an eighty pound puma in an eight pound body and proceeded to terrorize any and all strangers who ventured onto her turf.
I can still hear the conversation. "Uh, I would be careful with that cat." I would say. "Oh, don't worry, I get along well with cats, they really like me."A hand would be extended to pet the cute little kitty, and hiss, snarl, scratch and there would be another notch on Kenny's scratching post and the mark of Zorro on another hand or arm. She was a two person cat; except for Jonna, Mica, and Mouse who she seemed to know needed to be treated as the family they are.
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| Kenny-On Attack |
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Tony Acardi spent three days in hell trying to install a new tile floor in our condo. Kenny perched on the windowsill near the front door and every time Tony came by he was greeted with a snarl, hiss and swipe of the claws. He also thought he was good with cats, but he had never met a REAL guard cat.
Our neighbor, Mary's best friend, offered to take care of Kenny and Chloe while we went on a trip. It got so bad that Betty took to wearing leather gloves and a heavy jacket just to get by Kenny perched near the front door. I suspect Kenny never quite forgave Betty for the confusion resulting in the boy's name.
They say cats have nine lives and Kenny used them all. She would climb the Kiva ladder, hop onto the air conditioning duct that acted as a plant shelf and then leap six feet to perch in a small moon-shaped window where she could bask in the sun and survey her territory from the highest point in the house. Occasionally, while grooming herself in one of those hard to get to places she would get one leg in the air, lose her balance and fall twenty feet bouncing off the TV and the entertainment center. After doing this four or five times you would think she would be a little hesitant, but not Kenny. The next day there she would be sitting at the bottom of the ladder eyeing the window. A few minutes later she would be happily sunning herself in the little window without a care in the world.
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| Kenny in the Window |
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| Kenny on High |
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Kenny was a heat seeking missile and took every opportunity to curl up somewhere hot. Sometimes she would be on top of my old CRT computer monitor or on the stereo receiver and as soon a hot box of pizza was delivered there she would be, curled up on the unopened pizza box. Once she claimed her hot spot, even family had a risky time getting her off the box. She made the trip to Costa Rica with hardly a complaint and soon fell in love with the many spots of sun our tropical home provided.
Until we came to Costa Rica, Chloe paid more attention to Mary and Kenny kind of favored me. Once we got here they somewhat swapped attention. Kenny took to curling up in the nook of Mary's knees while Chloe wakes me every morning at five am for a petting and then curls up at my feet. Why the change? Who knows the mind of a cat! I do know I wiggle and thrash when I sleep and Kenny wouldn't put up with that. Mary sleeps much quieter and didn't disturb her as much. She also is warmer and cozier than me and that may have caused the change.
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| Mary's Snuggle Bunny |
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| Nap time for Both of Us |
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The call of the wild was strong in Kenny and she never quite got the message that she was an indoor cat. If a door was left open a crack she would be out in a flash.Once outside she was transformed. She would start growling and our attempts to pick her up and bring her in were met with hisses and snarls.Eventually she would find a patch of grass and start eating it. Once preoccupied I could safely pick her up and bring her inside.
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| Let Me Outta Here |
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She gave us two real frights, Once she got out when I was in the hot tub in Texas and disappeared for four days. We posted "lost cat" posters all over the neighborhood and on the fifth morning our doorbell rang and their was one of our neighbors holding Kenny. He had found her picking a fight with a cat three times her size. Another time she escaped our two story home here in Costa Rica, climbed out onto the roof and jumped down, eventually falling through the mesh cover over our rainwater collection tank. Fortunately, it was the dry season and the tank only had about a foot of water. She was whining quite loudly and somehow we woke up and were able to rescue her with nothing more than a good soaking and a cut in her side from the tin cover over the well pump. Think that would teach her? Nope, the next time a door was left open a crack there would be a flash of black and the chase would begin all over again.
All animals have their own little peculiarities and hers was a revulsion for water, having her nails cut and heavy rain storms. When she would starting drinking from her water bowl she would shake one foot and then the other. When it was time for monthly nail trimming I had to get a death grip on her nape while Mary fought literally "tooth and nail" to trim her razor sharp claws. Chloe, however, would lie placidly in my arms, waiting for her treat, while Mary clipped her nails. We have a metal roof and when the heavy rains come crashing down you could find Kenny as a lump under the sofa quilt.
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| The Lump is Kenny |
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| Mary Keeping Kenny Company |
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The painful part of adopting a cat and pets in general, is that our life span is longer than theirs and we generally out-live them. Around the first part of December Kenny stopped eating and drinking. In retrospect we can see that she hadn't been as active as normal for a while. It was hard to check her habits with two animals using the same litter box and food and water bowls. We took her to our local vet who found she was severely dehydrated. Eventually we took her to the University of Costa Rica small animal veterinary college where they have the most modern, up-to-date and caring facility I have ever seen. It was too late for Kenny and although they tried IV's and other treatments she passed away on the morning of December 14, 2009 from kidney failure.
When we were told, we wept inconsolably for we had lost a precious member of our family and our, on alert 24 hours a day, guard cat. If there is a cat heaven, Kenny will be there hissing, growling, scratching, terrorizing the Angels and putting more notches on her scratching post.
Fred and Mary
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| Kenny Soaking up Rays |
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