Patch Evan Emerson

2002-2005

Patch came into our family in October of 2002. He came from the Humane Society shelter. He seemed to have adopted Tomás as his role model, as you'll see in the following four pictures. Patch settled in almost immediately and got along with the other pets quickly. Lulu hissed at him for a couple of days, and Rusty followed him around and sniffed him for a few days, but things settled down quickly. He enjoyed wrestling with Tomás a LOT more than Lulu enjoyed wrestling with Tomás.

Patch, Tomás and Rusty: "Hanging out with the guys"

Patch liked lying around the house in the stretched-out "I'm in control" body language that confident cats use.

Patch, Tomás and Missy: "Vultures"

Patch was an aggressive eater; he attacked his food with gusto, and he let you know when he was interested in what the people were eating.

Patch, Tomás and Lulu: "It's a tuxedo cat thing"

Isn't this an attractive little clowder o'kitties? Lulu, as usual, posed demurely for the camera, while all Tomás and Patch could think about was the FOOD.

Patch's happy things

Wrestling with Tomás or Nisa
Stalking Lulu
Sitting in the bedroom window waiting for his people to get home
Getting behind the couch and playing through the crack
Going into the garage, or even better, outside
Lying on the newspaper when someone's trying to read it

Patch's best buddy was Tomás, and when the latter died, Patch mourned for about a month. It was really touching. Ironically, Patch met a similar fate less than a year later. He was lying on the kitchen counter and stumbled a bit when he got up. It was reminiscent of what happened to Tomás, so naturally there was concern. His eyes were dilated, but he wasn't crying out in pain. He was encouraged to try getting up again, and he stumbled off the edge of the counter, hit the floor, and stopped breathing. We were absolutely stunned. He went from playful 3-year-old cat to ex-cat in about a minute. He was necropsied at the MU Vet Hospital to determine the cause of death, and they said it was heart failure. Such an affable little guy; I don't recall him hissing or growling at anyone or anything. He always came to greet visitors to the house (as opposed to the tabby kitties, who ran from the doorbell). I think Patch thought of himself as part of the dog pack. You were a big dog, Patch. You were really something special, and we'll miss you.

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