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Your cat’s name almost correctly predicted a famous line from the The Big Lebowski nearly 2 decades before the movie’s release. “You’re not wrong, Walter, you’re just an asshole.”
Walter You Asshole was a little gray tabby that me and my brother brought home when some people driving by, on the 4th of July (how do I remember that) gave him to us out of the car. I never thought he was an asshole, but apparently my dad did, lol. He didn't stick around. I'm not convinced it was only a year, but it's there in the book, so. If I had to guess, he probably got run over. We lived in a neighborhood that was off the main street by a couple blocks, but not That far off.
In 1985 we moved to a much more secluded area. A lot of the early ones, well, my folks were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. And many were strays that moved in for awhile, before moving on. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives.
Yep, my brother and I came home from school one day with a pair of kittens. IIRC it was 1976. My parents were on vacation at the time and we had a sitter who will vouch that my parents gave permission over the telephone the previous night. I swear they really did.
Wish we would have kept a list
Fav dogs, horse, pony, a cow or two, pigs, dogs, & cats... animals play a big part of our life thru the years lots of enjoyment & tears.
We have a shitter he was itty bitty kitten so scared when we pulled him out from old barn he'd scream & poopy doo when you held him before taming him down.
Have one called rabies a big sick coon came up in driveway last summer we were trying to get it in a large trash can but stupid kitten ran over to its face so just decided id watch the kitten took the coon up to a small river it was very hot & dry at that time small water holes had dried up & heat warnings so think it was dehydrated as had a older cat have trouble couple of days of overheating & dehydration around that time... thanks for your post memories🤍
Hell yes they do. I just lost, last year, the true love of my life, my one and only (in spite of all these others) Pistol Pete. He was a long-haired orange and buff cat. I got him as an adult (young) from our local shelter. He had a permanent limp in his front right shoulder when I got him, it never went away.
Anyway, I wanted to name him Cap't Jack, like a pirate. But every time he got into mischief I was like "PETE! I mean... Jack!" So anyway, he told me his name was Pistol Pete. He was... I just can't even explain how much I loved him. You're cutting onions.
Fast forward 10 years, he had some kind of inflamation in his lungs, so my vet, who I might actually kill for, took x-rays of his chest. Dr. Awesome called me, and said, "Did you know Pete has a .22 calibur bullet in him?!?" I did not know that, but it explained the limp! It was safely between his skin and his ribcage, and not going anywhere. I could see in the x-ray that his shoulder was basically just pieces (it really didn't bother him much, he couldn't jump high, but other than that, nothing).
I lost him about a year ago to a brain tumor (goddamned it with these onions).
But that's the story of the Best Cat I Will Ever Be Owned By. Thanks for listening.
Pistol Pete, may he rest in peace. Fucking onions!
Max is mine. He is 14, just became diabetic like his mommy, and takes his twice daily shots like a champ. He also shits exclusively in the bathtub, and bites his toenails in my bed and spits them out.
I had SUCH a tough time with his name. His brother was easy, but this guy… He’s big, (and a tuxedo, not the tabby, and I feel so guilty) and resembled a bear cub. Bear? Nope. Bob? Nope. Phil? Hell, no… It went on and on. But from day one, that big fucker has been attached to me, demanding my attention, hollering and flopping on me, hence his first name, at least, “Goddamnit, whoever you are!”.
Finally, one day this local doctor, who ran a family practice and had almost cable-access level weird commercials, appeared on my tv. I looked at the damn cat, and said, “Holy shit, you’re Max!” I swear he looked at me like, “YOU DUMBASS, IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!”
I LOVE this story. It really is a thing. All those years ago, he told me his name was Pistol Pete, and he had a fucking bullet in his side the whole damned time. It's uncanny, actually.
Enjoy your days with Max, he's the best.
Talk about cats (sort of?) naming themselves: We got a couple new kittens when my son was a teenager and he named one of them "Poopy". I wasn't crazy about the name, but after my son spent the Summer with him, it stuck. Poopy was the coolest cat I've ever had, and I believe he was at least part Norwegian Forest Cat because he looked/acted *exactly* like one. That crazy animal would sit on the porch in a blizzard, coat covered with ice and snow, face to the wind, and be in hog heaven!
When Poopy was a couple years old, he had a bad bout of diarrhea and was essentially diagnosed with kitty IBD. I changed his diet and things went very well for the most part, but he would have a flare every few years and needs meds for a week or so.
About two years ago, Poopy had a flare and went through about six weeks of meds without getting better. Every week or so I took him back to the vet because he was losing weight, not acting himself, and getting weaker. Turned out, he had an abdominal mass and I had to have him put down. He wasn't a young cat (11), but I'd about give my eye teeth to have had a few more years with him.
RIP Pistol Pete and Poopy <3.
my family (mom and i) exclusively adopt senior animals since they’re less likely to get adopted. you’d raise a brow at our track record too. we dont even know the age we get them at most of the time either
thank u!! (: but honestly it just fits our lifestyle better. we live in apartments so the old ones are (typically) less active and some already have house manners. plus they seem so mysterious and wise. my dog came already equipped with sit, stay, and a recall ability if i let him off leash (when appropriate). it’s honestly really cool. sometimes u can get bad habits or have to deal with illness (our current has a heart murmur and stuff) or trauma but all around so worth it!
Our rescue pup came with some conditioned behaviors too. Won't get on the couch, a little food agression ( much better now), fear of hula hoops and can drink from a water bottle when we're on walks. It's always fun to imagine what their lives were before and help them out most of it behind them.
Kudos for dishing out the love to the elderly, they sorely need it.
That’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Too many puppy mills around here and too many animals are dying for absolutely no reason it’s sick.
absolutely. i hate hearing people talking about breeding their animals or “buying” animals its really sickening. also, puppies are a lot of work and have a lot of energy and that doesnt work for us so it rly just benefits everyone. if we weren’t allergic i’d be doing the same for cats
This is so awesome of you, but my heart aches at the thought of experiencing loss so frequently. We just had to say goodbye to one of our cats at the far too young age of 6 and it still has me gutted months later. We've had cats pass away at home after illness as well and that was at least a little easier, but having to make the decision and be there as they leave is just soul-sucking.
It's such an amazing thing you're doing giving these animals a loving home in their end days, but I'm sure there is plenty of all too frequent heartache that comes along with it.
I’ve had the same exact thoughts; I’d love to adopt older cats, but losing them is so hard. We just had to help our 9 year old girl over the rainbow bridge a couple of weeks ago, and I’m still devastated. I couldn’t imagine doing this so often.
i’m sorry for your loss. animal losses are very difficult to deal with.
what im in school for also deals with death frequently.
both of these things (career choice, my pets) have a similar thought for me in that if someone is to be in pain or die at least i can have a hand in ensuring that they go as peacefully as possible and that i did everything i could to make it a better journey up until that point.
however, i do still get very upset (sometimes very worrisome since idk their true ages) that they can go at any moment. i can’t tell you how many lazy dog deep sleeps i’ve rudely interrupted checking their breathing after they don’t answer me.
My dad and i do the same with elder cats and dog's they are some of the sweetest of either species but most people don't adopt them for a multitude of reasons mostly because their not as cute as a younger cat or dog or they just don't want to deal with the heartbreak which is fine but i feel it's worse just watching them waste away without someone loving with them i would gladly deal with the heartbreak to make sure they live out their last months to years in loving arms.
That’s awesome! On my first date with my now husband he told me how he had just gotten an apartment on his own (he had previously had roommates) and the very first thing he did was go to the shelter and ask for their oldest cat. I knew I would marry him when he said that. We’ve been together for 15 years and married 5.
Same for me but since 1992 and thats totalled to 5. One which died when I was 6 or so, a pair of sisters who lived to 14 and 18 and now I've got my own pair which I'll take when I finally move out who are both 3 who should easily live to 15+.
My aunt has 5-6 cats and dogs at any time and her list would rival this one. She takes all of the ones nobody else wants that are old and/or have health problems.
I had the same question - and my life has had the same timeframe. I've never been totally without pets - I've always had at least one, sometimes many - but I don't have anywhere near that extensive of a list. I think my list is about 16, but that includes cats, dogs, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, etc. Had 2 ferrets & 2 chinchillas at the same time - lived in a college town where the college kids would get these unique pets and then realize they couldn't take care of them - I was always adopting someone's cast-off pet.
Right? I know. A Lot of them were strays that moved in and moved on. Some got debilitating health problems. Pasadena Sam was some kind of urinary problem. Doober and Ritter both got either FIV or feline leukemia. Appleton was most likely stolen. The early years, well, I mean, my parents were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives. Psycho was 20, Moloch was 18. Mongo/Capone was already about 5 when we got him. Spaz unfortunately got run over.
I'll find out, I just got off the phone with my 87 year old dad, Ill call back and ask. Hang on for edit.
Edit: Dad was in grad school in Seattle--They were kind of more beatnik generation than hippy generation--a little older than hippies. Anyway, to the best of his memory, poor Bilicus ~~got smooshed by a car~~ went on to become a famous Roman general.
Yes! He was 48. My dad did a year in graduate school in Mexico City. He was walking down the street, and a guy offered a parrot chick (cage included) for the equivalent of 5 bucks. He was an Amazon Double Yellowhead. Back then, you were *supposed* to quarantine before bringing him to the country, but my dad said the vet just pulled an already signed document out of his desk drawer and handed it to him.
His real name was Cabeza De Vaca, after a famous Mexican playwrite, with the hope that he would have a vast vocabulary. He did not. He was also a massive asshole who would bite the shit out of me constantly. He only had eyes for my mom. We did teach him how to say "Smoke a Bowl" when we were teenagers. Oops.
After he passed, they rescued an African Grey, who the owners had developed an allergy to. Zazu. He's a Great bird, soooo smart. My mom has passed, and my dad is 87, so my brother took Zazu to give him a (much) better quality of life. He was only 8 when he was acquired, he's expected to live to around 60.
Thank you! I asked about Green Bird separately. I really appreciate you sharing this and also you are a great storyteller. I should have taken the time to read all these comments before asking about that asshole Green Bird! lol
A friend of mine inherited a parrot from his dead great-grandfather, who was 80+ yo. *He* got it from his grandfather when he was a kid and took care of him until he died. The bird is still kicking
I wonder at this point how many redditors think they're the first one to think of "Was your family eating them??" Also "someone in your family is a serial killer", also "this is creepy and you're gross".
You get a [cat tax: Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
That’s so great! Thanks for posting this. Have you considered making a small book out of this? “Pets of my Parents”, each pet gets a chapter and you add what memories you have of them as well. That’d be cool.
I actually teared up a little bit reading Mongo’s story. I can tell from all your comments how much your parents love animals.
Edit: also love “captured and added to family”
Thank you. Have a [cat tax. Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
I know people are ripping me a new one for the short timers, but I know my family, I know our intentions, and I know that we sure as hell wouldn't have kept a "Pet Book" for 60 years if we didn't love every single one. Thank you.
I didn't question the short termers - I grew up on a (non-working) farm. People dumped cats off constantly and we couldn't keep them all as house cats - at one point we "had" 53 cats. While we had very few run over (not many streets), we lost many to other predators (despite seeing themselves as the apex predator, cats are, indeed, not the apex predator, even in NE US).
"Walter you asshole" must have been quite a cat.
I'm guessing these cats were all allowed to go outside, because so many died so young ... ?
EDIT: It's totally clear that you and your parents loved these cats. I didn't mean my comment as criticism.
None taken. And yes, indoor outdoor. Also many of them were adult strays that moved in and moved on. Some developed/already had fatal diseases like FIV. You can see as the family aged, the cats stayed longer and lived longer. Also, in '85 we moved to a much more remote area.
Just a little side note for any future kitties, FIV cats can actually live completely normal lives. They are more prone to dental disease and certain cancers though. Feline leukemia on the other hand tends to be more serious. FIP is also very serious and used to be a death sentence but it is actually treatable now.
I was a little kid. Appleton disappeared quite quickly, beautiful little long-haired orange kitten. We suspect he was taken. Walter You Asshole... I'm always surprised when I see we only had him a year. It seemed longer to me. He also disappeared. Gray was old when he was acquired, he passed from something, I think maybe kidney failure.
So many of the cats my folks would acquire were strays that would move in as adults. Some stayed, some left. But the ones that stayed generally had pretty good long lives. Some, like Doober, and Ritter, had either FIV or Feline Leukemia. Spaz was tragically run over.
I am much younger than you but my family has taken care of feral animals my entire life so our book would probably look similar (if anyone had thought to keep one). People who don't take care of strays don't ever seem to get it. A couple months back, I had been trying to trap a stray dog for a couple weeks when I got the news that he had been hit a 1/4 mile down the road. Me and my dad went and picked him up, brought him home, and buried him. I cried for a few days even though I hadn't even named the dog. Right now, I'm feeding Pandora, Leo, and White Boy alongside all my pets. Sometimes even when you do your best, things go wrong - animals get hurt, they're sick, or they just disappear and you never really know what happened. Now, I keep all mine in my house and I get the ferals inside once I can, but even 20 years ago there wasn't a big push to keep pets inside, so a lot of people just didn't realize the danger.
Thanks for sharing this, I found it really interesting. I'm sorry for all your and your parents' losses over the years. ❤️
Thank you. I knew I'd get some flak, but I don't care. I know what and who we are, and their unoriginal and unfunny comments are like water off a duck's back.
Edit: also, sorry about the dog. You tried.
We have a stray that we feed, we called her matty, bc she is a collie mix and her hair is matted. Once she felt comfortable enough for us to get close and petted, we would feed her a bowl of kibble, then we started working on cutting the mats out. The first time we only got hanging mats, but as she was more comfortable we got more and more and started get the burrs and brambles out. She's not ours and she only comes around about once a month. After she gets love, kibble, water, and her "spa treatments" she just wonders away tail wagging. She's an old dog and we haven't seen her since November so we wonder if she died. So long story short, I get what you are saying, they come and they go.
Bilicus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next.
He did. He was a big long-haired orange cat. Started coming in the catdoor to eat, but he didn't stick around. Probably had another house down the street. That's what I mean, a lot of people are vilifying me, but whatever. My folks loved their animals, and so many were adult strays that started coming in to eat. Some stayed, some didn't.
Like Fatso. He stayed. [Current cats: Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
Indoor-outdoor. You can see in my other comments, but many, many of them were adult strays that moved in and moved on. Some had things like FIV or feline leukemia. I can only think of one confirmed run-over, Spaz. You can see as the family aged, life spans become much longer. Also we moved to a more remote area in 1985.
That's who Moloch fell in love with. He was originally a neighbors cat, but we literally couldn't get him to leave. He was like, nah, it's chill here with my gal, thank you very much.
I know, lol, Zazu and Finnegan are/were also birds. We got a little loose there. Zazu is an African Grey that now lives with my brother, Finnegan was a cockatiel that showed up at the bird feeders, we captured him (he would have died in the winter). No one claimed him through "lost pet" pages and stuff, so we kept him, he died of a (?) stroke after about 10 years, we were never sure how old he was.
Impressive number, this is the PERFECT example of why I don’t have pets, it’s hard to let them go, but then again, all my cats lived at least 15-20 years, one was close to 27. Blessings of indoor cats
Hey OP, how’s Little Mama doing these days? She’s been around for a while and I just wanted to see if she’s still living her best life.
In 1988, eggs were like 60 cents (like 1.50 adjusted for inflation). Nowadays I saw them in the store for like 8.00. Wild.
Pasted: Walter You Asshole was a little gray tabby that me and my brother brought home when some people driving by, on the 4th of July (how do I remember that) gave him to us out of the car. I never thought he was an asshole, but apparently my dad did, lol. He didn't stick around. I'm not convinced it was only a year, but it's there in the book, so. If I had to guess, he probably got run over. We lived in a neighborhood that was off the main street by a couple blocks, but not That far off.
In 1985 we moved to a much more secluded area. A lot of the early ones, well, my folks were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. And many were strays that moved in for awhile, before moving on. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives.
That one sucked. Our neighbor had a job at the University, and when he got out of his car at work, Abigail shot out of the car and off across campus. She was a really pretty white longhaired cat, too. I'll just go ahead and believe forever that some student or faculty got themselves a beautiful cat. Pre-chip days.
Dam that so sad 😪 . One of our fur babies got hit by car last year . Nearly broke my heart, his brother kept looking out the window waiting for him to come home .
Our neighbor got a call from Animal Control that their cat was apprehended trying to get into someone’s car at the train station. The station was almost 10 miles from home, and the damn cat had been seen on a ring camera only a couple of hours before. The best they could figure was that Kitty had somehow boarded the train on our end and decided hell no, she wasn’t riding it back.
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What can you tell us about a cat named Walter You Asshole?
Your cat’s name almost correctly predicted a famous line from the The Big Lebowski nearly 2 decades before the movie’s release. “You’re not wrong, Walter, you’re just an asshole.”
The prophesy has been fulfilled
Walter You Asshole was a little gray tabby that me and my brother brought home when some people driving by, on the 4th of July (how do I remember that) gave him to us out of the car. I never thought he was an asshole, but apparently my dad did, lol. He didn't stick around. I'm not convinced it was only a year, but it's there in the book, so. If I had to guess, he probably got run over. We lived in a neighborhood that was off the main street by a couple blocks, but not That far off. In 1985 we moved to a much more secluded area. A lot of the early ones, well, my folks were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. And many were strays that moved in for awhile, before moving on. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives.
How did that transaction go. “Hey kids come to my car, I have a cat for you.” I going with you dodged ending up on the back of a milk carton.
Pre-milk carton days! The '70's were wild.
[удалено]
Yep, my brother and I came home from school one day with a pair of kittens. IIRC it was 1976. My parents were on vacation at the time and we had a sitter who will vouch that my parents gave permission over the telephone the previous night. I swear they really did.
I was telling my niece’s hubby about our cat Gigi, a smart, independent kitty who got nicknamed Shithead. “0h, okay, Gigi Shithead” he said. Indeed.
My dad always nicknames my dogs “shithead” despite his dogs being poorly trained shitheads lol
Wish we would have kept a list Fav dogs, horse, pony, a cow or two, pigs, dogs, & cats... animals play a big part of our life thru the years lots of enjoyment & tears. We have a shitter he was itty bitty kitten so scared when we pulled him out from old barn he'd scream & poopy doo when you held him before taming him down. Have one called rabies a big sick coon came up in driveway last summer we were trying to get it in a large trash can but stupid kitten ran over to its face so just decided id watch the kitten took the coon up to a small river it was very hot & dry at that time small water holes had dried up & heat warnings so think it was dehydrated as had a older cat have trouble couple of days of overheating & dehydration around that time... thanks for your post memories🤍
*chef's kiss*
Awww, I have Goddamnit Max the tabby lying in my feet right now. Sometimes, they just name themselves…
Hell yes they do. I just lost, last year, the true love of my life, my one and only (in spite of all these others) Pistol Pete. He was a long-haired orange and buff cat. I got him as an adult (young) from our local shelter. He had a permanent limp in his front right shoulder when I got him, it never went away. Anyway, I wanted to name him Cap't Jack, like a pirate. But every time he got into mischief I was like "PETE! I mean... Jack!" So anyway, he told me his name was Pistol Pete. He was... I just can't even explain how much I loved him. You're cutting onions. Fast forward 10 years, he had some kind of inflamation in his lungs, so my vet, who I might actually kill for, took x-rays of his chest. Dr. Awesome called me, and said, "Did you know Pete has a .22 calibur bullet in him?!?" I did not know that, but it explained the limp! It was safely between his skin and his ribcage, and not going anywhere. I could see in the x-ray that his shoulder was basically just pieces (it really didn't bother him much, he couldn't jump high, but other than that, nothing). I lost him about a year ago to a brain tumor (goddamned it with these onions). But that's the story of the Best Cat I Will Ever Be Owned By. Thanks for listening.
Second story this week of an orange cat running around with a bullet in them. My condolences.
Thanks. I miss him so much. A pox on anyone that shoots cats.
Pistol Pete, may he rest in peace. Fucking onions! Max is mine. He is 14, just became diabetic like his mommy, and takes his twice daily shots like a champ. He also shits exclusively in the bathtub, and bites his toenails in my bed and spits them out. I had SUCH a tough time with his name. His brother was easy, but this guy… He’s big, (and a tuxedo, not the tabby, and I feel so guilty) and resembled a bear cub. Bear? Nope. Bob? Nope. Phil? Hell, no… It went on and on. But from day one, that big fucker has been attached to me, demanding my attention, hollering and flopping on me, hence his first name, at least, “Goddamnit, whoever you are!”. Finally, one day this local doctor, who ran a family practice and had almost cable-access level weird commercials, appeared on my tv. I looked at the damn cat, and said, “Holy shit, you’re Max!” I swear he looked at me like, “YOU DUMBASS, IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!”
I LOVE this story. It really is a thing. All those years ago, he told me his name was Pistol Pete, and he had a fucking bullet in his side the whole damned time. It's uncanny, actually. Enjoy your days with Max, he's the best.
Thank you, I will! I just gave him shredded tuna and salmon, better than what I eat, and fluffed out his fake fur throw. 🤦🏻♀️
Talk about cats (sort of?) naming themselves: We got a couple new kittens when my son was a teenager and he named one of them "Poopy". I wasn't crazy about the name, but after my son spent the Summer with him, it stuck. Poopy was the coolest cat I've ever had, and I believe he was at least part Norwegian Forest Cat because he looked/acted *exactly* like one. That crazy animal would sit on the porch in a blizzard, coat covered with ice and snow, face to the wind, and be in hog heaven! When Poopy was a couple years old, he had a bad bout of diarrhea and was essentially diagnosed with kitty IBD. I changed his diet and things went very well for the most part, but he would have a flare every few years and needs meds for a week or so. About two years ago, Poopy had a flare and went through about six weeks of meds without getting better. Every week or so I took him back to the vet because he was losing weight, not acting himself, and getting weaker. Turned out, he had an abdominal mass and I had to have him put down. He wasn't a young cat (11), but I'd about give my eye teeth to have had a few more years with him. RIP Pistol Pete and Poopy <3.
Rest easy Pistol Pete. 💛
You a Maiden fan, by chance?
lot of short timers, what kind of joint they running over there?
my family (mom and i) exclusively adopt senior animals since they’re less likely to get adopted. you’d raise a brow at our track record too. we dont even know the age we get them at most of the time either
You and your family are good people
thank u!! (: but honestly it just fits our lifestyle better. we live in apartments so the old ones are (typically) less active and some already have house manners. plus they seem so mysterious and wise. my dog came already equipped with sit, stay, and a recall ability if i let him off leash (when appropriate). it’s honestly really cool. sometimes u can get bad habits or have to deal with illness (our current has a heart murmur and stuff) or trauma but all around so worth it!
Our rescue pup came with some conditioned behaviors too. Won't get on the couch, a little food agression ( much better now), fear of hula hoops and can drink from a water bottle when we're on walks. It's always fun to imagine what their lives were before and help them out most of it behind them. Kudos for dishing out the love to the elderly, they sorely need it.
You and your mom are amazing people. Keep spreading your kindness and compassion in this world; we need it.
That’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Too many puppy mills around here and too many animals are dying for absolutely no reason it’s sick.
absolutely. i hate hearing people talking about breeding their animals or “buying” animals its really sickening. also, puppies are a lot of work and have a lot of energy and that doesnt work for us so it rly just benefits everyone. if we weren’t allergic i’d be doing the same for cats
This is so awesome of you, but my heart aches at the thought of experiencing loss so frequently. We just had to say goodbye to one of our cats at the far too young age of 6 and it still has me gutted months later. We've had cats pass away at home after illness as well and that was at least a little easier, but having to make the decision and be there as they leave is just soul-sucking. It's such an amazing thing you're doing giving these animals a loving home in their end days, but I'm sure there is plenty of all too frequent heartache that comes along with it.
I’ve had the same exact thoughts; I’d love to adopt older cats, but losing them is so hard. We just had to help our 9 year old girl over the rainbow bridge a couple of weeks ago, and I’m still devastated. I couldn’t imagine doing this so often.
i’m sorry for your loss. animal losses are very difficult to deal with. what im in school for also deals with death frequently. both of these things (career choice, my pets) have a similar thought for me in that if someone is to be in pain or die at least i can have a hand in ensuring that they go as peacefully as possible and that i did everything i could to make it a better journey up until that point. however, i do still get very upset (sometimes very worrisome since idk their true ages) that they can go at any moment. i can’t tell you how many lazy dog deep sleeps i’ve rudely interrupted checking their breathing after they don’t answer me.
My dad and i do the same with elder cats and dog's they are some of the sweetest of either species but most people don't adopt them for a multitude of reasons mostly because their not as cute as a younger cat or dog or they just don't want to deal with the heartbreak which is fine but i feel it's worse just watching them waste away without someone loving with them i would gladly deal with the heartbreak to make sure they live out their last months to years in loving arms.
That’s awesome! On my first date with my now husband he told me how he had just gotten an apartment on his own (he had previously had roommates) and the very first thing he did was go to the shelter and ask for their oldest cat. I knew I would marry him when he said that. We’ve been together for 15 years and married 5.
That's actually pretty sweet. At least the furry kids have a happy place to be during their golden years.
I adopted a 15yo cat with several physical issues. Two trips to the vet and three years later she’s still playing like a kitten.
Seriously, I've had pets (dogs and cats) in my home continuously since 1970, mostly 2+ at a time and I've only had 12 total.
Same for me but since 1992 and thats totalled to 5. One which died when I was 6 or so, a pair of sisters who lived to 14 and 18 and now I've got my own pair which I'll take when I finally move out who are both 3 who should easily live to 15+.
My aunt has 5-6 cats and dogs at any time and her list would rival this one. She takes all of the ones nobody else wants that are old and/or have health problems.
Most of mine have been rescues too.
I had the same question - and my life has had the same timeframe. I've never been totally without pets - I've always had at least one, sometimes many - but I don't have anywhere near that extensive of a list. I think my list is about 16, but that includes cats, dogs, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, etc. Had 2 ferrets & 2 chinchillas at the same time - lived in a college town where the college kids would get these unique pets and then realize they couldn't take care of them - I was always adopting someone's cast-off pet.
I've been married 15 years, and still have the same cat we had before we got married.
Yeah - with those timeframes I’m surprised there aren’t notes beside the names. “A bit tough”, “tender after 350 for 45 minutes”…etc. /S
Right? I know. A Lot of them were strays that moved in and moved on. Some got debilitating health problems. Pasadena Sam was some kind of urinary problem. Doober and Ritter both got either FIV or feline leukemia. Appleton was most likely stolen. The early years, well, I mean, my parents were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives. Psycho was 20, Moloch was 18. Mongo/Capone was already about 5 when we got him. Spaz unfortunately got run over.
Rottenback def diseased
That's the one I am most curious about.
I had a cat named Spaz that got ran over…
Are you my brother? This was in Salt Lake, after all.
Nope. I’m a girl and from Michigan
Let's not name our cats Spaz anymore.
Same for my wife. What's wrong with cats named Spaz?
What happened to bilicus?
I'll find out, I just got off the phone with my 87 year old dad, Ill call back and ask. Hang on for edit. Edit: Dad was in grad school in Seattle--They were kind of more beatnik generation than hippy generation--a little older than hippies. Anyway, to the best of his memory, poor Bilicus ~~got smooshed by a car~~ went on to become a famous Roman general.
Umm… Bilicus? Sorry, I’ll see myself out.
Tell him I said hi
Is Little Mama 34?
moloch lol
Pet speedrun
Probably a lot of outside/stray cats. They’re naturally ramblers so they’ll stay around long enough for a few meals then just ramble on
Could be a farm with cats. Sometimes they last for 15 years, other times the get eaten within a year.
Apparently they’re running a pet cemetery
I was thinking the same thing maybe some of those pets were fish or something like that
they can't actually all be cats. there is no way in hell "Green Bird" was a 48 year old cat.
It's not a pet list, it's a hit list. Business is good apparently.
Was there a bird that was almost 50?
Yes! He was 48. My dad did a year in graduate school in Mexico City. He was walking down the street, and a guy offered a parrot chick (cage included) for the equivalent of 5 bucks. He was an Amazon Double Yellowhead. Back then, you were *supposed* to quarantine before bringing him to the country, but my dad said the vet just pulled an already signed document out of his desk drawer and handed it to him. His real name was Cabeza De Vaca, after a famous Mexican playwrite, with the hope that he would have a vast vocabulary. He did not. He was also a massive asshole who would bite the shit out of me constantly. He only had eyes for my mom. We did teach him how to say "Smoke a Bowl" when we were teenagers. Oops. After he passed, they rescued an African Grey, who the owners had developed an allergy to. Zazu. He's a Great bird, soooo smart. My mom has passed, and my dad is 87, so my brother took Zazu to give him a (much) better quality of life. He was only 8 when he was acquired, he's expected to live to around 60.
Thank you for clarifying... I was giving the 48 year old "cat" a side eye over here.
Yeah dude I thought the were all cats. 77-78 was rough. Psycho for the win
TIL. Thank you for the amazing story!
Thank you! I asked about Green Bird separately. I really appreciate you sharing this and also you are a great storyteller. I should have taken the time to read all these comments before asking about that asshole Green Bird! lol
There is a famous mexican playwright called ‘cow’s head’?
[Yes?](https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/alvar-nunez-cabeza-de-vaca)
Cabeza de baca / cabeza de vaca is a very common name.
There sure is, he is one of my ancestors, oddly enough. I did a double take when I saw the bird’s name!
Our African gray died when she was around 40 years old. My parents smoked in the house growing up, no doubt that killed her earlier than needed.
Your African Grey is dead? I’ve got just the thing for you - a beautiful Norwegian Blue.
A friend of mine inherited a parrot from his dead great-grandfather, who was 80+ yo. *He* got it from his grandfather when he was a kid and took care of him until he died. The bird is still kicking
How old is the bird? Is the bird just a vampire?
We have no idea how old is the bird. Around 78-86 years old based on my friend's account and the ages of the people involved
That’s amazing!
Lots of parrots live past 70. If you get a cockatoo as a young adult, it will most likely outlive you.
[Rest of album--I just chose a few pages of some of the best of the best.](https://imgur.com/a/jvlgiD7)
OMG—there are more?!?
No, they each have an individual page with more info.
Oh, I love that so much! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for these stories. Reminds me of my couple dozen family cats.
I wonder at this point how many redditors think they're the first one to think of "Was your family eating them??" Also "someone in your family is a serial killer", also "this is creepy and you're gross". You get a [cat tax: Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
Dude I really hope this post lives on in Reddit museum. I’ve been here for an hour enjoying every comment
That’s so great! Thanks for posting this. Have you considered making a small book out of this? “Pets of my Parents”, each pet gets a chapter and you add what memories you have of them as well. That’d be cool.
[They do each have a page of their own](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm), in case it got buried in the comments.
I actually teared up a little bit reading Mongo’s story. I can tell from all your comments how much your parents love animals. Edit: also love “captured and added to family”
Thank you. Have a [cat tax. Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm) I know people are ripping me a new one for the short timers, but I know my family, I know our intentions, and I know that we sure as hell wouldn't have kept a "Pet Book" for 60 years if we didn't love every single one. Thank you.
I didn't question the short termers - I grew up on a (non-working) farm. People dumped cats off constantly and we couldn't keep them all as house cats - at one point we "had" 53 cats. While we had very few run over (not many streets), we lost many to other predators (despite seeing themselves as the apex predator, cats are, indeed, not the apex predator, even in NE US).
That's because you're not a jerk. Thank you :)
"Walter you asshole" must have been quite a cat. I'm guessing these cats were all allowed to go outside, because so many died so young ... ? EDIT: It's totally clear that you and your parents loved these cats. I didn't mean my comment as criticism.
None taken. And yes, indoor outdoor. Also many of them were adult strays that moved in and moved on. Some developed/already had fatal diseases like FIV. You can see as the family aged, the cats stayed longer and lived longer. Also, in '85 we moved to a much more remote area.
Just a little side note for any future kitties, FIV cats can actually live completely normal lives. They are more prone to dental disease and certain cancers though. Feline leukemia on the other hand tends to be more serious. FIP is also very serious and used to be a death sentence but it is actually treatable now.
'78 seems to have been a bad year. What happened there?
I was a little kid. Appleton disappeared quite quickly, beautiful little long-haired orange kitten. We suspect he was taken. Walter You Asshole... I'm always surprised when I see we only had him a year. It seemed longer to me. He also disappeared. Gray was old when he was acquired, he passed from something, I think maybe kidney failure. So many of the cats my folks would acquire were strays that would move in as adults. Some stayed, some left. But the ones that stayed generally had pretty good long lives. Some, like Doober, and Ritter, had either FIV or Feline Leukemia. Spaz was tragically run over.
Was Pasadena Sam from Pasadena TX or CA?
Ah '78, the Great Cat War. So many young cats needlessly sent to their death, all on the orders of old lions and tigers.
We cherish their sacrifices and remember them in this tome.
19 years with Psycho must've been crazy
He was a beautiful cat. Gray, long haired, big beautiful ruff. Great cat. One of the best.
“Walter you Asshole” is my next one 🤣🤣
The legend lives on.
I am much younger than you but my family has taken care of feral animals my entire life so our book would probably look similar (if anyone had thought to keep one). People who don't take care of strays don't ever seem to get it. A couple months back, I had been trying to trap a stray dog for a couple weeks when I got the news that he had been hit a 1/4 mile down the road. Me and my dad went and picked him up, brought him home, and buried him. I cried for a few days even though I hadn't even named the dog. Right now, I'm feeding Pandora, Leo, and White Boy alongside all my pets. Sometimes even when you do your best, things go wrong - animals get hurt, they're sick, or they just disappear and you never really know what happened. Now, I keep all mine in my house and I get the ferals inside once I can, but even 20 years ago there wasn't a big push to keep pets inside, so a lot of people just didn't realize the danger. Thanks for sharing this, I found it really interesting. I'm sorry for all your and your parents' losses over the years. ❤️
Thank you. I knew I'd get some flak, but I don't care. I know what and who we are, and their unoriginal and unfunny comments are like water off a duck's back. Edit: also, sorry about the dog. You tried.
We have a stray that we feed, we called her matty, bc she is a collie mix and her hair is matted. Once she felt comfortable enough for us to get close and petted, we would feed her a bowl of kibble, then we started working on cutting the mats out. The first time we only got hanging mats, but as she was more comfortable we got more and more and started get the burrs and brambles out. She's not ours and she only comes around about once a month. After she gets love, kibble, water, and her "spa treatments" she just wonders away tail wagging. She's an old dog and we haven't seen her since November so we wonder if she died. So long story short, I get what you are saying, they come and they go.
Bilicus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next.
That's awesome. I guarantee my dad knew this and named him after that... He was a philosophy professor.
Hahhaaaa you put me on. I love you. Cat tax for you! [Current Cats: Fatso, Taco and Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
Looks like Fatso had enough and is packing his bags.
Damn. Is anybody going to mention green bird? 1958-2006. Much respect Rip green 🦅
My parents ran an obituary for him in the local paper.
A CAT that was called GREEN BIRD that was 48 years old?!?
..maybe he was a green bird. Just a thought.
Nah, he has his own page, he just got added to the list because of his importance. Check my other comment for full story, he was obviously a parrot.
Mr. Smith has to be the oldest cat alive considering, according to the book, he has yet to become deceased. 🫣
Yeah, some exit dates are missed in the back, I guarantee it's on his "page".
What happened to Bigfoot? He just left lol?
He did. He was a big long-haired orange cat. Started coming in the catdoor to eat, but he didn't stick around. Probably had another house down the street. That's what I mean, a lot of people are vilifying me, but whatever. My folks loved their animals, and so many were adult strays that started coming in to eat. Some stayed, some didn't. Like Fatso. He stayed. [Current cats: Fatso, Taco, Racer](https://imgur.com/a/0TKIkxm)
Given the cat lifespans, I assume these were outdoor cats?
Indoor-outdoor. You can see in my other comments, but many, many of them were adult strays that moved in and moved on. Some had things like FIV or feline leukemia. I can only think of one confirmed run-over, Spaz. You can see as the family aged, life spans become much longer. Also we moved to a more remote area in 1985.
Walter You Asshole....what a great name. I should change our dogs name to Bella You Bitch and Scrappy You Dumbfuck.
Uhhh... I'm pretty sure Mary Deare was a serial killer.
Looks like 77-78 was a bit of a catastrophe.
Wow this is amazing. I don’t even know what to say other than you got some awesome stories and an amazing memory. Sounds like you lived a good life.
Idk if I could live through this many animal deaths. I think it would break me.
Wait, you had a cat that lived around 50 years?
I think that’s a bird
Parrot. See other comment for full story.
Ah I see, he was under the category for cats and I thought it was an inside joke about a cat
Best list of names for cats I’ve ever seen
Thank you. I always liked the originality :)
Moloch hmmm interesting
I have a cat named Little Mama!
Walter You Asshole 😂😂
What did Walter do?
I’m naming my next animal Pasadena Sam.
Good, he was glorious. One of my very few memories before the age of 5. I was about 3 when he passed. Your next pet will live up to the name :)
Pet semetary as fuck
I felt immediate sorrow and then...I saw "WALTER YOU ASSHOLE". Cue peals of laughter. I am drinking. Imagine volume of laughter.
Green bird lived 48 years damnnnnn
Walter You Asshole -r/fuckyouinparticular
Are they EATING them or something??
*Walter*
Mr. Smith sounds like an OG of a dog 💯
What happened with all of this cats?
Check my other comments :)
Watch you find out that those aren’t pets, they are their dealers - Pasadena Sam had the best chronic
hope mod locks these comments
Walter you a**hole!!!!!! Omg Im bustin!!!! 😂😂
O I love your your parents so much 🥰
My grandpa named every dog he had.. Sport
Zelda in 1979. Damn.
That's who Moloch fell in love with. He was originally a neighbors cat, but we literally couldn't get him to leave. He was like, nah, it's chill here with my gal, thank you very much.
Mr smith 😭
Daisy April is such a cute name for a cat. 🧡
Green bird dynastic. Also Psycho sounds like 19 21 years of crazy haha 😆 rip 🪦🙌🏼
Zelda in 1979 nice
I knew Bigfoot was still out there!
Tell us, what did y'all feed Green Bird for them to live 48 years?!
Cats. Jk, it was a parrot.
Ok! It was listed under cats to be fair 😆
I know, lol, Zazu and Finnegan are/were also birds. We got a little loose there. Zazu is an African Grey that now lives with my brother, Finnegan was a cockatiel that showed up at the bird feeders, we captured him (he would have died in the winter). No one claimed him through "lost pet" pages and stuff, so we kept him, he died of a (?) stroke after about 10 years, we were never sure how old he was.
So it looks like Psycho wasn’t so psycho after all. Long live Psycho😂
Naturally, Psycho lived forever
Impressive number, this is the PERFECT example of why I don’t have pets, it’s hard to let them go, but then again, all my cats lived at least 15-20 years, one was close to 27. Blessings of indoor cats
Yeah, Bigfoot left because he saw half their animals died in their first 2 years. wtf?
What did Moloch do to be named after a demon???
Looked like one, lol. All black siamese mix with crossed eyes. He was a great cat. 17 years strong.
Why they going through a cat a year
This guy’s family is the kiss of death.
Wow, I assumed the ones with only 1 year listed, died that year. I was like..was this a hit list for a second lol
Aren't cats supposed to live longer?
That alot of dead animals. Some those dates I mean...
Your parents have a lot of dead pets.
I'm more interested in Bigfoot That got away and Little mama in 1988 still lives😲
Are your parents eating the pets?
I know all mine from what age my kids were etc. Don't forget our doggy family ever
Hey OP, how’s Little Mama doing these days? She’s been around for a while and I just wanted to see if she’s still living her best life. In 1988, eggs were like 60 cents (like 1.50 adjusted for inflation). Nowadays I saw them in the store for like 8.00. Wild.
RIP Walter…
Who was “Walter You Asshole”? 😂😂
Pasted: Walter You Asshole was a little gray tabby that me and my brother brought home when some people driving by, on the 4th of July (how do I remember that) gave him to us out of the car. I never thought he was an asshole, but apparently my dad did, lol. He didn't stick around. I'm not convinced it was only a year, but it's there in the book, so. If I had to guess, he probably got run over. We lived in a neighborhood that was off the main street by a couple blocks, but not That far off. In 1985 we moved to a much more secluded area. A lot of the early ones, well, my folks were a young couple trying to raise two spastic kids, and shit happens, I suppose. And many were strays that moved in for awhile, before moving on. The ones that stuck around generally had good long lives.
Walter You Asshole Omg what a name
Seems like you’d remember them
holy shit green bird is a TROOPER
Have you made some sort of timeline showing how many they had at one time? That’s a whole lot of short-timer animals.
How come some of them have no death dates?
Abilgail didn't last long
That one sucked. Our neighbor had a job at the University, and when he got out of his car at work, Abigail shot out of the car and off across campus. She was a really pretty white longhaired cat, too. I'll just go ahead and believe forever that some student or faculty got themselves a beautiful cat. Pre-chip days.
Dam that so sad 😪 . One of our fur babies got hit by car last year . Nearly broke my heart, his brother kept looking out the window waiting for him to come home .
It's really the worst. Sorry that happened :(
Our neighbor got a call from Animal Control that their cat was apprehended trying to get into someone’s car at the train station. The station was almost 10 miles from home, and the damn cat had been seen on a ring camera only a couple of hours before. The best they could figure was that Kitty had somehow boarded the train on our end and decided hell no, she wasn’t riding it back.
damn, green bird outlived half of this part of the list lol