Hail and Farewell to My Favorite Varmint

26 Sep

It is with a heavy heart and self-recrimination that I bid hail and farewell to Dean, my ornery, feisty and loving (at times) 20 pound feline.

He was a bit of a pest at times and caused me to visit the ER twice (or maybe it was three times) due to his deep scratches (which weren’t always his fault), but he provided me with a lot of companionship, his own type of cat love and many mouse carcasses.
Dean loved to be where I was, whether with Zoom calls,
when I was trying to make the bed,
or taking a morning nap…never on the lap, always very close to me.
He loved to play with tissue paper and would eventually have torn pieces all over the house.
Dean would get under the table and wait for his special toys on a string to be tossed.  It took a long time to get him tired of this game so that I could do other things around the house.
Dean was the only cat I’ve ever seen who did this with his tongue.

This morning, Dean was outside with me while I was feeding the wild birds as has been our routine for years. He had a habit of inspecting the back yard while I was doing my morning chores.   I knew I was playing with fire as there is open country with coyotes beyond my back fence.  But all had seemed well these many years.  This morning, I went back into the garage clean his litter box and when I went back outside, four coyotes were in the backyard.  They had killed him.

RIP Dean. I miss you already.

4 Responses to “Hail and Farewell to My Favorite Varmint”

  1. Barbara Allen's avatar
    Barbara Allen September 26, 2026 at 5:22 pm #

    oh. No. I’m sooo sorry. I loved seeing the pix of him. He was a good companion! 🐈‍⬛

    • buzzardnotes's avatar
      buzzardnotes September 27, 2026 at 9:57 am #

      Thank you, Barb. He was a varmint, indeed, but lovable most of the time.

  2. janishaag's avatar
    janishaag September 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm #

    Oh, Cora… though Dick and I said this to you on the phone today, we are bereft with you at this sad, sad news… not just for poor Dean but for you having to undergo such a traumatic ending to your dear feline friend’s life. He was a good kitty buddy to you, and we ache with you over this tremendous loss… you super kitty mama, you. You were both so fortunate to have each other for six wonderful years.

  3. buzzardnotes's avatar
    buzzardnotes September 27, 2026 at 9:56 am #

    Thank you, Jan. Your words comfort me. Dean was ornery, stubborn and lovable all in one. Friday, I almost bought a tee that depicted Dean perfectly. It was a picture of the famous painting of God reaching out to Man. Instead of Man, there was a cat with his paw raised to be ready to swipe at God. He would have done that. You’re right. We were fortunate to have found each other.

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