Oliver the Cat, April 2000-January 2008

This has been a very difficult week for us. We had to put our cat, Oliver, to sleep. When we got back from our trip to DC last week we noticed that he was more thirsty and lethargic than normal, which is saying quite a bit for who was quite possibly the thirstiest and most lethargic cat ever. Monday he started vomiting and acting very sick so we took him to the hospital the next morning.

From his blood work the vet determined he was in kidney failure. She said that it had likely been coming on slowly for a long time. Looking back we can see that he may have had kidney problems his whole life; it would explain why he never had much energy and always drank huge amounts of water.


This is a picture of Oliver as a young kitty in our house in Middletown, still small, but with big feet. When we first got him, he was smaller than our other cat, Mr. Pibb, but the vet said he would be the bigger cat. The vet clearly knows his job - Oliver at times tipped the scales at over 17 pounds.




Oliver has never been known for his extraverted behavior, but his shyness was always amplified for a few weeks after we'd move to a new place. During our stay in an apartment before moving to Cincinnati, he would hide in one of two places: behind the refrigerator (as seen above) or in the wall behind the Murphy bed. Eventually he became brave enough to come out, right in time for our move into our condo, where he went into hiding again.


While Oliver was not the alpha male of the relationship, he and Mr Pibb had some good times together, including one night when a female in heat came by the open window of our house in the suburbs. Both cats were neutered, but she still sparked their interest and caused a little rivalry between them. That must have been a hot little girl. But even though they had their fights, they were good buddies. They often curled up to sleep together and woke us up at all hours of the night with their playful antics.


When I left for Germany and Sarah was alone in Cincinnati for a month before coming over, Oliver was a loyal friend who kept her company. In this picture Sarah is playing a game with him called, "Can our cat read?" We don't think he could.


Oliver was generally afraid of visitors, but when he was alone with us he wanted to be held, scratched, and brushed. If we were sitting on the couch, he'd jump up and sit on our laps. And he'd definitely get involved if we were lounging or sleeping. Each night when it was time for bed, he would go off to the bedroom and wait for us at the foot of the bed. When we'd wake up in the morning he'd be curled up between us.


When we lived in Germany, the boys stayed in Massachusetts with Sarah's parents. Oliver especially was very helpful with the occasional mouse that would find its way in to the old farmhouse. He figured out that the mice were coming in under the stove in the kitchen and would spend hours crouched there waiting for a little squeaker to come out and "play". He also continued his traditional favorite activity, napping with Mr. Pibb or on a blanket next to the warm radiator.


So goodbye Oliver. You were a sweet cat. We will miss you. It's amazing how a house so filled with noise and activity can seem to be missing something without a sleepy cat at the foot of our bed, but it does.