So Long Bubba..............

Shrimp King - that was the name of my bait & tackle shop in the mid eighties. A lot of wild times and fish stories went on there! We also had a lot of cats around - ALWAYS. I would pawn off cute kittens to customers, neighbors and family - anybody! I gave a few to my next door neighbors - the Meyers. Their few quickly became a bunch - and out of a litter in early 1993 came a awesome little orange fella that Courtney (only 10 then) claimed as her own and started bringing in her room and making a baby of him. Well, Stevie - the neighbors 13 year old like Bubba too - and this led to a few words between the families - all over a 3 pound orange kitten! Bubba ended up with us and quickly became part of the family. When we moved here in 1994, Bubba became our outside "guard cat"! He was pretty unique - he always wanted to be petted and would even crawl up on your leg for a scratch or two. Linda always fixed a box with blankets to sleep in when it got cold and he always had a blanket on the church pew in the carport. When it got real cold, Linda would go out and bring him and let him sleep in the extra bathroom. He could be found sleeping on the Harley or Linda's car hood or any other place that made him feel close to his people. He was a great hunter! Frogs, squirrels, snakes, birds and lizards were among the trophies he left on our welcome mat. He had buddies through the years - George and Country both came when the Genungs moved in 1995 - but none had the personality of Bubba! I have to admit that I have, on more than 1 occasion, said that I would not have any more cats once these were gone. My beef was with the other cats in the neighborhood that would come to eat out of Bubba and buddies' bowls. I even admit that I often took Bubba for granted and was often in too big a hurry to bend over and scratch him. BUT - I ALWAYS fed him and he was my buddy..... I came home today and Bubba was laying by his food bowl and could not move - those that know me know how I felt. It broke my heart - I tried to pick him up and he growled and tried to move but could only move a couple inches - his gums had gone white and he had lost most of the feeling in his back. I wrapped him in a bath towel, put him in his well padded sleeping box and headed off to the vet. I buried Bubba in the front yard where he had patrolled for the last 12 years and felt a little connection to my past slip away. Linda will be home soon and I will have to tell her and she will be crushed - she so dearly loves and dotes over all our animals. Once again, I realize that Bubba was one of the many blessings that have been poured out into my life and I am thankful for all the years I had my little buddy - Bubba! So long Bubba...................