Dr. Fine is so Fine

     

Yes, I know I promised Part Three of our life with Spartacus Jones. Then a good friend passed away, and I'm grieving. Trying to write about Spartacus'  last days just became that much harder, and I couldn't finish that piece. I got to thinking...Does anyone really want to read a long and sorrowful blog about how my sweet boy suffered? Do they really need to read about how hard we fought to save him, only to lose him anyway?

     If readers ask me to write Part Three, I will. I did promise, but I want this blog to be positive, with mostly happy stories about cats. So I'm going to write about another sweet boy I love.

     Dr. Fine is my friend Donna's cat. She' s the one I told you about in a previous blog. How she wound up with five cats? Dr. Fine wasn' t her first, but he's the first of her current clouder. 

I also told you that she found him a the Humane Society and he chose her.   

     I've told this story before, so I'll get to our introduction. The first time I met Dr. Fine, Donna's and my friendship was brand new and it was my first time at her house. Her husband John was still alive. I liked their company, but Dr. Fine was the star of the show.

     We were sitting at the kitchen table, and he he jumped into the seat next to me, much to my delight. He's a big kitty, not fat, just large, and he had big eyes and a loud purr. I began to gush over him, saying "Hello, Dr Fine! You sure look fine!"

      "Wanna be his best friend?" Donna asked. She brought out some cooked shrimp. Apparently Dr. Fine has a thing for shrimp. So I sat tearing shrimp into cat bite sized pieces, which I hand fed to my new friend. He REALLY loves his shrimp. He gobbled it from my hands, and tapped the table with a meaty paw when I didn't bring them fast enough. 

      I was told that he sits at the table with them at dinner sometimes, and has his own little plate. He eats what they eat...within reason, of course. He mostly gets chicken and turkey breast. Every time I came to visit Dr. Fine would sit beside me and Donna would bring out shrimp for me to feed him. It's our own little ritual. 

     The first time he tried to crawl into my arms, I wasn't expecting it, and I fumbled him like a bad pass until he decided I was bad at holding cats and left.  But he still graced us with his presence and accepted all the love, kisses and shrimp I could give him. 

     Tara was still alive back then too, and she would play him Indian music on her phone. He'd cuddle her phone and go to sleep purring. Whenever Donna and John had company, Dr. Fine would sit with us and hang out. 

     Unfortunately Donna's husband suffered from COPD, and passed away. I didn't know John well, but I liked him a lot, and I became more of a fixture at Donna's. I was there to help her with anything she might need. She's quite independent, and didn't require much, but we found that our friendship blossomed. John's passing was hard on Donna, but she noticed a change in Dr. Fine and Donna got worried. She'd just lost her spouse of over 50 years, she was not ready to lose her cat too. 

     She took him to the vet, but his health was good. There was no physical reason for Dr. Fine's lack of appetite and listlessness. The vet asked about any changes in the household. Did something new happen? Or something bad? Donna told the vet her husband passed away. 

     That was it. Dr. Fine was grieving too. Poor kitty. Donna was told to give him time. People say that cats are standoffish and emotionless. I disagree, and Dr. Fine is a prime example. It took him a long time to become himself again, but...

     Fast forward to Christmas. Christmas is a grand affair at Donna's house, and this would be her first without John, so she was determined to make it a happy day filled with friends and family. 

     I could go on and on and on about what a great night it was. She cooked a ham, a turkey, and a prime rib roast with all the fixin's. I could babble on about the decor, the center piece, the flowers, the Christmas Crackers and the reindeer confetti, but this is a cat blog. 

     I want to tell you about the miraculous change in Dr. Fine. He brightened right up! When the doorbell rang, he rushed to greet every guest and escorted them inside. He kept to himself at dinner. He had his own turkey breast to gnaw on, plus the shrimp I'd given him when I arrived. After dinner, he sat around the table with us and absorbed all the pets and scritches everyone would give him. He had new toys and Squeezables, and had a great Christmas with the rest of us. 

     New Year's Eve, same thing. Greeted every guest at the door and escorted us all inside, leaning into all the affection we all bestowed upon him. Dr. Fine was BACK! He was okay after that. It took him some time, but he was once more the incredible social sweetheart we knew and loved. 

It was just over a month after that when I lost Spartacus Jones, and Donna helped me get through that too. So did Dr. Fine. When I sat down at that kitchen table, he jumped into the seat next to me and fixed me with those big eyes.  I picked him up, and held him close to my chest. He purred extra loud, it seemed, and I told him I loved him. I thanked him for letting me hold him, and I cried a bit. Dr. Fine responded by headbutting my tears away. God, I love that cat. 

Anyone who thinks that cats are aloof and unsociable should meet Dr. Fine. He loves humans. He's getting older, I think he's twelve or thirteen, but he's still pretty spry. He's still my good friend, and I'm always as excited to see him as I am Donna. I can't wait to see him again and feed him shrimp.