I haven't been able to thank you for your posts before because just after my last post,the sky fell on me : my cat died.
Actually he was my girlfriend's cat and he was already living in her crazy pad with all the dolls and weird paintings when I moved in 5 years ago.He was the most amazing little guy,he loved to play "fetch" with those little balls that have a bell in them,just like a dog.Kinda of a pain in the neck when he decided he wanted to play at 4am and would bring a Jingle Ball into our bed and start knocking it around.
He was a good alarm clock and I could alway rely on him to wake my girfriend to go to work if she forgot to set the alarm.When ever I was at the computer he would rock my chair from behind then come around the front and jump in my lap and tap keys on the keyboard.When I was watching TV or reading he would tap me on the shoulder with his paw as if to ask "Whats up,strange guy who lives in my house?"
We have another cat,a 12yr old female named Wolf and he just loved to tease her.He would pounce on her whenever she least expected it and then chase her around the house just for fun.I was a big fan of all his craziness.
He loved my guitars and would always try to jump in my lap when I was playing.He seemed to really like all the noise I made.He also like my amps.His favorite vantage point from which he could survey his domain was the top of my Marshall G15R-CD amp.Yes ,he was truly Master of His Domain!.
This week only one day after opening the box of my New Rickenbacker 330 me,my girlfriend and the 2 cats were watching TV when my girlfriend noticed he was lying on the floor barely breathing.I tried deperatly to revive him but I couldn't and he died right there in my arms.We were devastated.He was so healthy and only 6 years old.As I found out later he died of heart failure which in his case caused fluid to fill his lungs making it impossible to breathe.
There were a few warning signs,he had a heart murmur when he was a kitten which actually saved him from being neutured as a kitten because he wouldn't have survived the anesthsia. Lately I had noticed him extremely fatiqued a couple of times but didn't think too much of it because he usually seemed so lively and healthy.Now I know cats can and often do have heart disease just like people and I think male cats carry a greater risk,so if you have a little guy you care about a yearly exam is a good idea.
Since My Rickenbacker 330 was the the last guitar Buddha gave me his approval for I will keep it forever in memory of him.It even looks like him with it's Jetglo finish,the slightly uneven size of the horns remind me of his one slightly chewed ear and when I look at the "catseye" soundhole I can almost hear him say "Whats up strange guy who lives in my house?"
