Two Dots

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” 
― Christopher Hitchens

Today we say good bye to Winchester, the second of our window-well triplets to lose a brief battle with shitty kidneys. He gave us little warning. One day he was jumping the gate we erect to keep the dogs at bay during feeding time. The next he was lethargic. The following.... Done. Maybe that's the way it should be - ever at your best, leaving just enough time to say farewell.

He was named for Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester, III, from the TV show MASH. The kids called him Two Dots for the black markings on either side of his nose.

He was the most calmly affectionate of the trips, looking for a lap when he wasn't searching out a strip of sunlight to sleep under. He made few demands on us, requiring only a place under the covers on a cold night. Calling him a picky eater understates both "picky" and "eater." He liked very few canned foods - we went several years buying only flats of a vile-smelling mackerel mush the other cats tolerated. Everything else was greeted with a tentative sniff and then, nose held in high disdain, he would march out of the kitchen. He did like the dry food (usually) and stomped around noisily if we negligently let the dish grow empty.

He went with the same easy grace with which he lived. Though there were tears as his head settled into my hands I am pleased that he shared his life with us. From window well to our hearts...where he will always remain.