Mr. Christmas 2008-2017 RIP

Mr. Christmas came to live with us on Christmas Day 2008. I went to school (we don't have Christmas Holiday in Japan) and in the teacher's office was a small black and grey tiger kitten with a little crook at the end of his tail. He was about 5 months old. Of course I asked "Whose kitten is this?" and the reply was that he belonged to no one; the children found him in the teacher's parking lot in the rain (a cold rainy Christmas Day). I asked, "If no one else takes him, may I bring him home?" The answer was a unanimous yes, since no one wanted a kitten and the plan was to put him back outside after the rain stopped. I had about 2 hours before my first class, so I brought him home and put him in the big cage with some food, water, and a clean litter pan.

And so his name was Mr. Christmas.

I won't go into the details of how he won everyone's heart with his antics, playing fetch the mousie for me, attaching himself to me and my wife, becoming my Best Bud, and all.

In the last 3 days he seemed to develop a mucous coating over his eyes. Once wiped clean, his eyes were clear and he could see OK. His nose became runny too.

I brought him to the vet and was told he needed to be in the nebulizer chamber for about 15 minutes each day for a few days, to breathe in the vaporous meds to clear his breathing passages, and he needed eye drops with antibiotics. He was also a bit dehydrated and needed water pumped in subcutaneously. No problem, he came home with me that morning.

He didn't eat much, but he drank some water.

Yesterday he seemed a bit improved but rather sluggish and showed no energy. When I put him in the car he made noises and I felt that protesting a car ride was actually an improvement (he was silent on the previous day, so very sick -- he always fussed when he had to go in the car). When I brought him in I asked if he could stay overnight, as I would be unable to bring him this morning (I had to go to the airport to pick up a lodging student). Again, no problem, he would have had his meds yesterday and again this morning, and Sumako would pick him up on her way home. It didn't seem serious, and the vet didn't seem too concerned.

This morning when the v et clinic opened, the tech called Sumako and informed her that Mr. Christmas had passed away during the night. It seemed to be a combination of upper respiratory problems and kidney failure.

Sumako tried to contact me but I was on the road back from Naha with my student, and when I got home, was too occupied with settling him in and explaining things about the training. Only late this afternoon did I get her call at the house. I don't carry a cellphone, and didn't check e-mail until after she called me later in the afternoon.

We will select a nice spot he would like, and tomorrow I will pick up a special heart-shaped stepping stone to use as a marker. If I can find the right paint, I'll put this on it:

Mr. Christmas
2008.7.14 - 2017.8.01
RIP

We've lost a lot of pets in the past 2 years...