R.I.P. Domino

Exactly three weeks to the day after I adopted TC, my beloved Domino passed away from acute kidney failure. He was 9 years old.

If you've been a follower of my blog, you know that Dommie had suffered from kidney disease about four years ago and had recovered after alternative therapy with apple cider vinegar. According to the vet, he would not have made it then, so the vinegar bought us a few more years with Dommie.

It is hard to find a photo of Domino without Peek-A-Boo. The two were inseparable. Peekie didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Dommie, as when David and I rushed him to the vet that morning, I had no idea he would not be coming home. Peekie spent two solid weeks hiding behind a pillow on the bed in the guest room and would not come out. Yes, animals do grieve. She has now returned to sleeping on top of me at night as she used to do, with Dommie under the covers in my arms. Peekie seems to want a lot more lovins than she used to, and that is understandable.

Domino was my Little Kittles, the baby abandoned at four weeks old who I bottle fed and who suckled on my arm all his life. It's funny that TC is also a suckler, also a mama's boy, and also a tuxedo kitty, and he came into my life three weeks before Dommie exited. You have to wonder.

My Little Brown-Noser

This little cutie came to live with me four years ago after his previous owner died. He is six years old now. My friend Debbie lived next door to Atticus (whose name was "Ratachak" then, ugh) and his owner, and when Rainie died, Debbie asked me if I would take her kitty.

When I got there, the poor little thing was so far under a cart in the kitchen that I had to lay down on the floor to reach him. It took a while to get him out, and he wouldn't stop crying.

After I got him home, he camped out in my basement for the first six months. He wouldn't come near me or anybody else. He had a bed down there that he stayed on, and whenever anybody came downstairs, he would hide. He was sad and grieving for a long time.

Eventually he started coming upstairs and hanging out, though he has never gotten friendly with any of the other cats. Last year he really shocked me by getting into bed and sleeping with me while other cats were there. He will only sleep with me once in a while, as a special treat for me I guess. But he still won't let other people see him, except on rare occasions when he will saunter through the room when I have a date over. Probably just to check him out and make sure he's good enough for me. To this day, my mom doesn't know I have him and he's been here for four years!

Atticus has a habit of growling at other cats, especially Reese. If Reese is even in the same room, Atticus will carry on like he is some kind of big scary mountain lion. It's very amusing and has earned him the nickname "Professor Grumbly-Puss."

I named him after Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird because I just couldn't live with the name "Ratachak" and Atticus had enough of the same sound that I didn't think it would be too hard for him to get used to it. He's a very sweet boy who hates to be held but loves to snuggle up next to me in bed.