Little Buddy
I have previously related the story of the origin of our cats so there is no real need to go into how Logan entered our lives. It is somewhat interesting to note, however, that he didn’t look like a cat so much as he did some large black rodent. He was a twitchy, spazzy ‘fraidy cat. But in a way it was somewhat endearing.
The little black rat.
Click to enlarge…
Kitten Kaboodle
As a kitten, Logan had a heart murmur. He was always the less adventurous of the two, opting to stay in the pet carrier when we brought him home. Laila had pretty much explored a good chunk of our rental unit while Logan stayed behind in the bathroom waiting for her to come back. He relied on her for a lot in those days, as she showed him where to find his food and where to go to the bathroom. He had a love/hate relationship with toys that made crinkly noises.
Logan doing his best Bowie impersonation.
Click to enlarge…
Growing Into His Head
As he got older, he gained a little more confidence and a lot more mass. He was still a very nervous cat. He was also quite thick, to be honest. He was horrible at gauging distances, and often slammed into things while chasing after flies and running to see pigeons at the windows. One of my favourite stories involves him sitting in the office gazing off into the distance. Suddenly, a bird alighted on our deck rail and Logan became a graceful shadow of action. He bolted across the floor, leaped onto the bed and in one bound pounced toward the bird. Lucky for the bird the newly-cleaned sliding glass door had recently been cleaned, causing our poor hero to appear cartoon-like as he smacked into the pane and slid to the floor. He stood up, shook his head and walked away, casting rueful glances at his former quarry.
From zero to hero. Not too shabby as appearances go.
Click to enlarge…
Comic Relief
Those who knew Logan knew his penchant for the role of the Jester. Whether or not he did this intentionally is up for debate. Well. Maybe not. In any case it was certainly entertaining. Whether he was chasing his tail on precarious perches, or scrambling around like a fearful maniac, he was a constant source of amusement. Even when he was on medication for one of his infections, he still managed to deliver the goods. He put his all into his role.
He also seemed to grow more crotchety every year, picking on Laila for reasons known only to him. She was pretty tolerant of it all. She would fight back, not allowing him to get away with things. If some foreign cat found its way into the house, she would defend him from the interlopers, because he just didn’t have the balls for combat.
Logan making one of his Comedy Faces™, and cleaning Laila, probably just before biting her on the noggin.
Click to enlarge…
On the Move
When we made the decision to move a few years ago the cats did all right in terms of adjusting to their new surroundings. Even Logan – with all of his nervousness – seemed to do well in the new environment. The real challenge, though, was yet to come: The inevitable arrival of Baby J.
We made sure that the cats knew something was happening by letting them spend time in the nursery. I admit that there were times where they probably didn’t want to be as involved in everything but they were pretty patient.
Here we see Logan being very patient with me while I was practicing swaddling. In the other picture he’s chilling on the top of the couch, staring out the bay window.
Click to enlarge…
Twilight
Baby J really liked Gogan. Considering her first word was cat, it’s no surprise. Logan had a love/hate relationship with Baby J, hissing and swiping at times, and then letting her manhandle him at others. It was very strange. Even though he was shy and stayed away from most people that visited our house, he was the first of the two cats to allow the baby to pet him.
The end, unfortunately (or fortunately) came very fast. I won’t really go into it. Suffice to say that he didn’t really look that sick. He just looked tired and skinny. Each of us spend some special time with him in his final week.
Logan doing what was unfortunately typical for him in the end. Just resting.
Click to enlarge…
A Good Boy
Logan was a big pain sometimes. He would endlessly whine for food and he would mess up the house. He ate food off the counter and snacked on inedible things. He picked on Laila, hissed at the baby and could be downright weird. But he was our little guy.
For all of these strange things, he was also very affectionate and sweet. He was with us when times were not so good. He made us laugh and when we were down he’d cheer us up. I like to think he knew that he was loved. In the end, he was surprisingly brave and was very peaceful.
I will always remember Logan this way. He was certainly a handsome devil.
Click to enlarge…
Filed under: Anecdotes, Friends | Tagged: Cat, Logan, Tribute |
Barking Space 
Aw, this is so sweet and so sad. I’m really sorry about Gogan. XO
Lovely tribute. xo
Lovely. I’m honored to have met him.
I will think of him running around with my cat Jack, Brilly’s cat Nubbin, and if I allow myself, sitting on my Dad’s lap in the great armchair of heaven. I hope Logan liked college football.
All my love to you, sweet ones.
a lovely send-off; my sympathies. the decision-making is so draining and the whole process so significant in a family’s life. Take care of yourself and the other Js.
You have my sympathies. Having lost two cats last year I share some of the pain.
Less Lee – Thanks for the kind words. He was pretty awesome.
Wendy – Thank you! I could probably write a lot more about him. Mind you, I could probably write a lot more about everything. However, I think that might alert Amnesty International to some horrible new form of torture for my readers.
Kris – Awww. You know, you’re the only one who got to give him a second name. Even now we still call him Luthor sometimes. I think he likes anything that has people running around, so college football should be acceptable.
Lorna – Thanks Lorna. It is draining. I’ve been present for a human euthanasia. I have to tell you, that this was just as difficult to watch.
Richard – Yeah Richard. I remember you had a tough year last year. We lose part of the family when we lose a pet.
My heart is with you and the whole family. It is such a very difficult decision. How lucky Logan was to have such a caring and loving family, and how lucky you were to have him.
I’m so sorry. My thoughts will be with you guys as you adjust to your house being a little emptier.
Jorge, that was very beautiful and moving. I’m sorry for your loss. *hugs to the whole J family*
I’m so sorry Jorge. It’s one of the toughest decisions we ever have to make in life. He was a lucky boy to be loved so much!
[…] Little J’s first word was “cat”). A few years into this new adventure, Laila lost her counterpart. We worried a bit how she would react to this loss – but our concern was short-lived as Laila […]