Pumpkin, da Menace of the RugCats
(Click on the links to see pictures of da Pumpkin
boy)
The newest member of the
RugCat clan is Pumpkin,
also known as "da Pumpkin-Boy". The ladies where Rick, the RugCats'
Dad, works found the little orange boy hanging around. They decided he needed
some food. Once he realized that the food and the hugs were free, he decided
that he should just stick around. He quickly became the darling of all the
employees. But it started to get colder outside and it was getting closer and
closer to Halloween. Rick kept asking the ladies if somebody would take him
home. The ladies adored him, but no one really wanted to take him along. Rick
made the mistake of telling me about Pumpkin....and that was that. He took the
pet carrier along to work and brought our Pumpkin boy straight to the vet that
night. After being neutered and tested for all kinds of stuff, Pumpkin became
the darling menace of the RugCats.
Oh, what a character!
Pumpkin has the sweetest expressions, very curious and quizzical. He's always
exploring the house and checking out the nooks and crannies. His favorite hideaway
is under the couch and that's where he runs when the other RugCats pick on him.
He loves to play with toys....his favorite toys are the various little stuffed
mice that can be found all over the house. He also has a little stuffed hedgehog
that we are forever fishing out from under the stove.
Pumpkin's vet thinks
he was about three months old when he first came to live with us. In the four weeks he had been in the house, his weight doubled...he is our little piglet. He loves mealtime
and is more than willing to scrounge for an extra helping from the other cats.
Unfortunately, they don't like sharing their food and usually growl at him. To
the other RugCats, Pumpkin is the resident menace. He doesn't care; he just goes
about his merry way.
Although the other
cats weren't crazy about sharing their house with an orange tiger, in time, it
did work out. The key word is "patience." There were times that I just
sat down and cried because the other cats simply did not want anything to do
with him. There were times when Pumpkin had to play by himself. There were times
when I actually had to shut BooBoo, Whisper, and Ms. Pepe in our bedroom while
we were at work, simply to give Pumpkin some time....BooBoo particularly loves
to pick on him.
But one afternoon,
BooBoo was chasing Pumpkin back the hallway. Suddenly, Pumpkin stopped dead,
turned around, got up on his hind legs, and started to box BooBoo around Boo's
head and neck. BooBoo was so surprised that he just sat there. Then he turned
around and ran out of the hallway. Pumpkin realized what he did and ran the
other way. BooBoo still picks on Pumpkin, but at least Pumpkin knows that he
doesn't have to take it anymore.
Pumpkin and Bootser do play together at times.
But I think he and Ms. Pepe get along much better than she lets us know. Often
he'll go tearing back the hallway on Pepe's tail; soon he'll come racing back
out into the living room with Pepe right behind him....but when Ms. Pepe realizes
that we're watching, she'll skid to a stop and lick one of her paws. And it certainly
didn't take him long to realize that our bed is much softer than the floor! At
night, he runs back the hallway to the bedroom with everybody else for his
bedtime snack. He is growing into a beautiful RugCat!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our wonderful
Pumpkin-Boy developed bone cancer in August, 2002 and died on August 17th. We
called our vet and she came to the house. We put Pumpkin on our bed and lay down
with him. I had him in my arms when she put him to sleep. Someday he will have
his Memorial Page, but I have not yet been able to even start one for him....the
hurt is just too deep. All cat lovers lose their babies at some point and we've
lost several little ones. But Pumpkin's loss is almost more than we can bear
sometimes. Every time I start to work on a page for him, I lose everything and
end up in tears. We loved and cherished that little boy so much. Rest in peace,
dear Pumpkin. We will never stop loving you. And you will never be forgotten.
This graphic of the Pumpkin-Boy was done by Mary Ann, a lovely lady from the Cat's Meow Board.
Thank you, Mary Ann
My
Favorite Pet - by Suzanne Taylor
There's something missing in my home
I feel it day and night.
I know it will take time and strength
before things feel quite right.
But just for now I need to mourn,
my heart - it needs to mend.
Though some may say "it's just a pet,"'
I know I've lost a friend.
You've brought such laughter to my home
and richness to my days,
a constant friend through joy or loss
with gentle loving ways.
Companion, pal and confidant
A friend I won't forget.
You'll live for always in my heart
my sweet forever pet.
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