Ryrede's Story

Arthur always had pets growing up. She had cats since she was about a year old or so. She's had a rabbit, two mice, gold fish and hamsters. We even had a dog, Charlie Brown, briefly. After me and the Hubster married when she was 7, the cat we had when we moved into his house ran away. Then we got her a kitten for doing so well when she had some oral surgery. It ran away. So, for years, we only had the hamster, rabbit, goldfish, and mice. The Hubster claimed he was severely allergic to cats, and I knew for sure he was allergic to fleas because I saw how infected his legs became after an attack.

When Arthur turned 13, we convinced Hubster to try a cat again. We agreed to have a cat that was declawed and strictly indoors. I took Arthur cat-hunting and we had quite an experience! The first place we went to, a Pet Smart in Stone Mountain, we encountered an angry yellow cat that turned his back to us and attempted to spray us with poop! We also had a cat snap at us. Snap, like a dog! He was a Siamese and he yowled really loud! We left that Pet Smart and headed to the one in Duluth. We had better luck there.

The volunteer at this Pet Smart introduced us to 'Cindy'. She was a 6 year old Siamese who had already been declawed and 'fixed'. She had a fawn colored coat with darker paws, tail and ears. She was a little thin and her coat was patchy, but Arthur fell in love with her. Obviously, she saw potential!

Cindy's story was that she was a purebred seal point Siamese, who was was owned by an older couple who felt like they couldn't 'deal with her' anymore. They said that their grandchildren terrorized her. The notes on the paperwork said she was a 'talker'. But, the volunteer told us she was quiet. She seemed quite loving with Arthur at the store. We felt really heartbroken for her that her owners kept her for 6 years, but didn't feel enough love for her to keep her. We brought her home that day to become a part of our family.

Arthur immediately renamed Cindy Margo. But Margo didn't really stick. Next thing I know, me and Arthur both are calling our new family member Siamese Kitty, then shortened it to just Siamese. Over the years she had several variations of 'Siamese'. There was Siamezer, Rymeeze, RyReeGee. But the one that really stuck was Ryrede.

When we first brought her home, 'Cindy' hid under Arthur's bed for a week or more. Then, slowly, she started getting used to her new surroundings and us, and she started sleeping in bed with Arthur at night. She was absolutely loving to everyone, but Arthur was her favorite.

As this new kitty morphed from Cindy to Ryrede, she helped Arthur through years of growing pains. She saw Arthur threw several boyfriends and broken hearts, nights when she was scared but had that furry security blanket to huddle in bed with, and I don't know how many of Arthur's tears soaked her fur after she and I had an argument. She was even once or twice the reason for one of mine and Arthur's arguments. Let me explain...

One night, after Arthur and I had already been at each other's throats, I was in the kitchen, mad and frustrated. Ryrede was already getting on in years, and was becoming more and more forgetful and frustrating. In her later years she would come down meowing in a very demanding manner because she had forgotten she had already had dinner. This particular night, her meowing was grating on my last nerve, partly because I was already frustrated with Arthur, and I admit, ashamed as I am, I kicked her in the rear end. Well, unfortunately, the tip of my big toe went up her rear end and sort of lifted her hind legs off the floor and she let out a squall. Well! The mother instincts in Arthur came flying out and I got blessed out for kicking her cat! Whew! I really felt absolutely awful first of all for kicking her, 2nd of all for violating her body with my toe, and for letting my emotions get the best of me to the point that I deliberately hurt someone I love. (The cat and Arthur). Fortunately, I think they both forgave me.

Ryrede, in her later years, would creep around the house like she was consumed with arthritis and seemed stiff and sore. However, one incident occurred that made me believe maybe it was all an act to gain sympathy. One day I opened the door to the garage and a small bird flew into the house. Immediately, Ryrede's ears perked up, her eyes widened, and zoom! There she went! She chased that bird all over our house! Up stairs and back down. She ran up the sides of walls and leaped feet off the ground in her pursuit of that little bird! I couldn't believe my eyes. After I got over my initial shock, I decided I'd better catch that bird before Ryrede did. So I threw a towel over it and let it loose outside. Ryrede's heart rate finally calmed down after a while and she crept back upstairs to take a nap.

Ryrede saw several new additions come into our family during her lifetime. First was Blacky. Blacky hissed at her and earned herself some rolls of toilet paper thrown at her from Arthur. When our little male kitten, Bitty, joined us, she hissed a little, but mostly she avoided him and ignored him. She only got irritated mostly when he tackled her and tried to wrestle with her. She welcomed Courage's new gold fish by scooping the black one out of the tank while we were away at work and school. He died on the carpet. Luckily, Goldy didn't get scooped!

One year Ryrede had a gland near her rectum to burst. It was the most awful thing you ever saw. It looked like she had two anuses. Arthur would have to hold her while I put meds in the hole with a Q-tip. Believe me, she didn't like that one bit and she clawed her way out of Arthur's arms!

Ryrede escaped at least once that I can remember. Arthur had taken her to the vet and upon their return she said Ryrede was howling so loud, she was so frustrated, that she opened the car door to get out and out Ryrede scooted! She somehow got under our porch which is very tall from the ground on one end and as the ground slopes up gets very close to the ground at one end. Ryrede got under the porch, which is enclosed with lattice, and wouldn't come to Arthur. Arthur had to crawl under the porch, all the way to the short end, and pry Ryrede off the side of the Lattice and carry her inside. She tore Arthur up! She had scratches all over the front of her body. I think that is one time she wanted to kick Ryrede!

We always delighted in the times that Ryrede acted like a kitten. Everyone once in a while she would get silly and chase a toy or catch a dangling ribbon in her mouth. We didn't know her when she was a kitten, but these times helped us to imagine what she was like when she was younger.

Ryrede loved to lay on someone. Mostly Arthur, but if another body was close by and available, she took advantage. And when they notion struck her to get up, she often 'scratched off' which could really tick you off when you weren't expecting it.

When Bitty came into our family, she mainly looked at him with disdain and did her best to stay out of his playful reach. But as he grew older and more mature and calmed down, Ryrede found a good sleeping buddy in him. You often caught the two of them curled up someplace, sharing some sunbeams streaming through the window or a dining room chair. Every once in a while you would also see Blacky in this furry huddle.

Ryrede loved to clean Bitty's ears. She would lick the insides of his ears until they must have become sore, because all of a sudden he would either jump up and leave, or he would start wrestling with her which would usually make her take leave!

Her licking could drive you insane. She loved to clean herself and she was quite loud and sloppy with it. I often heard Arthur yelling STOP IT RYREDE, and I knew she was having a big, slurpy, bath!

When Arthur was 24, and Ryrede was 17, they moved out. Arthur got an apartment and took her cat with her. So I had two to leave the nest at one time. By this time, Ryrede was truly showing and acting her age. Over the next year, she became thin and bony. The hair on her face and ears got whiter. As the months passed, she continued to get more 'senile', her coordination was getting worse, she would occasionally poop outside her litter box, she didn't clean herself as much as she used to, she was losing her eyesight and she slept more often.

In the meantime, Arthur had adopted another kitty. A Siamese mixed female, who had similar colorings as Ryrede's, but she had longer fur. This new kitty was named Buffy, after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also adopted Buffy's brother, Lex, named after Lex Luther, but I ended up with him because he wouldn't stop beating up on Ryreded.

Buffy was a God-send for Siamese Kitty. At this time in Ryrede's life, she wanted more and more to spend all her time laying on Arthur. But of course, Arthur had to work and she had a new man in her life and, naturally, she wanted to spend time with him. Buffy, like a little angel, came into Ryrede's life and gave her something she really, really needed; a friend. After their initial huffiness with each other, they became buddies. Buffy layed with Ryrede and ate with her and played with her. The most amazing thing was that Buffy guided Ryrede. Buffy would walk to different places in the apartment, making a little prrrprrrrprrr noise as she went. Ryrede would walk beside her, almost like leaning on her, and I think listening to that little noise Buffy made, and followed her all over. Together they would go to the window and jumped up on the ledge to lay in the sun and watch the birds in the tree branches that were near the window.

Over the months, Ryrede's health continued to decline. One day, Arthur was getting ready to go to work when she noticed Ryrede seemed to be having a really bad day. She went to work and returned that afternoon to find Ryrede in terrible shape. Her back legs wouldn't work and she was crying. She knew the time had come. That she would have to take Ryrede to the vet to be put to sleep. Her heart was breaking in two, but she didn't want Ryrede to be in pain and suffering. She got the kitty carrier out and put Ryrede inside on a towel. She said this whole time that Buffy was just running around them, purring, and generally acting upset and anxious. After she closed the carrier door, she said Buffy got up on top of the carrier and laid down, extending her paws down and into the carrier, trying to touch Ryrede, and ppprrrrr-pppprrrrr-ing. I know in Buffy's little kitty heart, she knew something terrible was happening. Amber had to make her get off the carrier.

At the vet's office, Amber gave Ryrede some last loving words and love and had to let the doctor give her an injection to put her to sleep. Needless to say, Arthur's heart was broken. She hated for her little friend to leave her, but yet, didn't want her to suffer and hurt.

She brought Ryrede back 'home' to my house to bury her. The BF dug a hole next to Bitty's grave, and placed her body, wrapped in plastic, into the hole. As he covered her with earth, Arthur and I hugged and cried.

It is so hard to say goodbye to those we love. But we know that Ryrede's kitty spirit is in pet heaven and her memories will live on with us forever!