# Ode to Austin



## mynee (Nov 18, 2004)

This is a bit late, as Austin passed a little over 3 years ago. Still, I wanted to share his life with others because he was such a great cat.

Austin was a Cymric/Bobcat mix. We got him when I was in the 8th grade after meeting (and falling in love with) my aunt's neighbor's Manx and Cymric cats. I remember first meeting Puddin and Percy and how much my family and I loved their friendliness and amusing antics. That same weekend, we looked in the paper ads for kittens. By chance, there was an ad for Manx kittens. The breeder was not too far from my aunt's house, so we went to look at them. She had three left, an all brown tabby female rumpy, an orange tabby male with a full tail and a brown-spotted and white rumpy riser male. We chose the male riser, as we already had two female cats at home and wanted a male (in hopes that they might get along better). He was so tiny and fuzzy, like a used cotton ball with eyes. The breeder said that there was a good possibility that he had and eighth to a quarter bobcat in him and that he would probably grow up to be a big boy. As we drove home, all of us argued as to what to name him. Finally, we all agreed to name him after his city of birth: Austin. As it would turn out, Austin did grow up to be a big boy, almost the size of a small adult cocker spaniel! Even though he was a big, swaggerin', full-of-himself kind of cat, there was one habit that he held onto from kittenhood that endeared him to everyone-- he sucked his "thumb." We suspect that his breeder (I won't say that she was the most ethical breeder in the world, read: Backyard Breeder, but her cats were healthy) fibbed about his age and weaned him at an early age. This would have been a good conclusion to come to when it came to thinking of a reason for his "thumb-sucking." His favorite evening activity was to curl up on any available horizontal human and suck on his dewclaw toe until his whole paw and a good portion of the human's clothing was wet with kitty-drool. It never irritated us, we all loved him for it. If there is one regret that I have about Austin is that we never had him neutered. If we had, then he still might be with us to this day. Since he wasn't neutered and very probably part Bobcat, it was definitely in his nature to roam. And roam he did. I live in a suburban neighborhood where all of the backyards are fenced in with 6-foot-tall wood planks. Each neighbor shares at least one side of their yard with another neighbor, so the fences are strengthened with 2x4's nailed horizontally between the vertical planks. Many of the neighborhood critters "walked the fenclines" and Austin was one of them. Whenever I came home from school, I would go to the side door and call for Austin, who would come running down the fencline and into the house. One day, shortly after his second birthday, I began to notice that he seemed a bit listless and subdued. He ghosted from one room to the other and didn't want to go outside for his evening stroll. I figured that he had eaten some critter that hadn't agreed with his tummy and left him alone. The next day, I gave him a bath because he had laid in his litterbox and hadn't cleaned himself up. It was then that I knew something was really wrong. Austin was one of the most fastidious cats I have ever had. It was VERY unusual for him to not clean himself, especially after a bath. On the following morning, my dad took him to the vet to see what was wrong with him. We were thinking that he had a blockage in his intestines, since he had stopped eating the night before. The diagnosis was much, much worse. He had somehow ingested antifreeze poisoning and was going through active renal failure. There was only a 20 percent chance of him surviving (or so the vet said) and the procedure to save him was costly. My dad came to our schools and picked up my brother and I to go see Austin. It was there that I learned that my beloved kitty was going to die. After talking things over with the vet, we (more like he and my dad decided) that it was best for Austin to be put to sleep. I was just clear minded enough to remember that we only had a few pictures of Austin and those were of him as a kitten. The vet was kind enough to take pictures of my brother and I holding our fading kitty. I both hate and cherish those pictures, as they are the few remaining pieces of proof that Austin graced our Earth. I only wish that I had asked to hold him when they gave him his lethal injection, so that I could have been with him in his last few remaining seconds here in the world of the living. I know now that it would have been a horrifying experience for me (seeing a cat be put to sleep is NOT a fun thing), but I still wish that I had been there. Later, I found out from a neighbor who had also lost a cat to antifreeze poisoning that someone or someoneS were putting antifreeze in small bowls on the fencelines to try and kill the possums and coons that walked the lines as well (there was a wooded area near my home that was being demo'ed and all of the critters were trying to find refuge in our backyards). Austin was the type of cat that NEVER drank out of puddles on the ground. He always drank out of running taps or out of bowls. This knowledge coupled with the information that someone was trying to poison the ousted wild creatures using antifreeze led me to believe that this was how Austin was poisoned. I hope that person burns in **** for all of eternity for trying to kill helpless and homeless creatures as well as my cat and others'. About a year ago, when I was working for a vet myself, I learned that some cats, with a bit of help can bounce back very easily from this type of poisoning. I also learned that the "vet" that I took all of my furry family members to was a crackpot who only cared about how much money he was theiving out of his clients' pockets in the quickest way possible. I should have realized this before, when the jerk couldn't even find an undescended testicle in my Tiny-Cat! How can you NOT find a testicle?!?!?! I was so angry when I found out that Austin could have been saved. His death is one reason why I am trying my hardest to become a vet myself. I NEVER want someone to go through this same ordeal. One of the vets I worked for is my personal hero who could have saved my Aussie-Cat. The man is a genius who truly cares for his patients. If only I had known him when Austin got sick. He could still be with us today.    

Austin, mein katze, if you can read this from kitty-heaven, know that we love you and still miss you to this very day and for all days that follow. I hope that you will be waiting for me at the end of that Rainbow Bridge when I cross it. 

Love,
Amanda "mynee"


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## MA (Mar 30, 2004)

What a touching story and tribute of your precious Austin. It pains me to know how he died. I am so sorry for that. Good luck in your plans on being a vet. You will be a wonderful one.


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