An ode to a lovable cat named Cooper

 

Cooper: A gentle cat

I wrote this column, which was published in the February, 2024 edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, RI, in memory of our beloved cat Cooper, whom we lost in January at the tender (by cat years) of 10 ½.

The link to the story on the newspaper’s Website is: https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/cooper-will-live-forever-in-our-hearts,57217?

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We lost a beloved member of our immediate family early last month, our friendly, cuddly male cat Cooper.
While some people may question calling a pet a member of their family, they clearly are. We feed them, take care of them, groom them and take them to veterinarian appointments on a regular basis. In addition, just as we did for our kids while they were growing up, we made sure Cooper and our dog Buddy both got their necessary checkups and shots.
With our children adults and living on their own, my wife Lynne and I would look forward to having our pets sit next to us on the couch while watching our favorite shows at night.
 So, yes, our pets are very much part of our families and the loss of one of them saddens us greatly.
In Cooper’s case, he wasn't old, even in cat years; he was 10 1/2 and we had him for 10 of those years, having adopted him at 6 months on New Year's Eve in 2013.
Even as a youngster Cooper was rambunctious as he enjoyed running through the house and playing with his cat toys, scratching post and jumping on and off his cat "tree house," a contraption lined in a soft fabric that let him safely climb at will.
When we added Buddy to our household two years later, he accepted his canine brother and the two of them enjoyed playing with each other, though we'd be forced to break them up when their play would become a bit too rough.
Cooper was well for most of his life, but in December, we began noticing signs of him having trouble breathing. Lynne took him to the vets’ office and a case of asthma was originally suspected. But when he wasn't responding to the medicine and his breathing worsened, the vet ultimately believed he had a mass in his throat or chest. By then he was really suffering and even if an expensive X-ray procedure that would have required him to be put under were done to confirm the mass, we were told there was no guarantee that anything could be done for him.
So, considering how much he was suffering --- he was barely breathing at that point --- we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Cooper. That sad day was Jan. 8 and we still miss Cooper terribly.
He slept with Lynne most nights, but would always be roaming the house at night, and he loved to come into the room where I sleep downstairs.
I usually tried to remember to close the door when I got up in the middle of the night, but whenever I'd leave the door slightly ajar, Cooper would run in.
Since his passing, I still find myself closing the door, and I still expect to see him sleeping on one of his cat beds or other favorite resting spots. I still look for him, as we’d do if he hadn’t shown his face for a couple of hours. I miss him curling up on my lap.
Cooper was affectionate to the end.
On the very morning of what would be his last day, he cuddled up with me in bed, as if he knew in how much pain my back was in due to 3-plus weeks of coughing.
But that was Cooper, an empathetic, cuddly, cute and loving cat. And that's only one of many reasons why the entire family will forever love him and cherish our memories of him. 


LARRY KESSLER (larrythek65@gmail.com) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro. He blogs at larrytheklineup.blogspot.com