It seems like many ages and 2 lifetimes ago now, but there once was a time before Flare was in my life. Back in early 2002, I was married to a different woman and we had gotten Ona almost a year earlier. I’m pretty sure that Ona has some Siamese in her in part due to her petite frame, but also her extremely talkative nature. I wanted to get Ona a playmate. I remember that it was the day after my 27th birthday that we went to the Boulder Humane Society to pick out a companion. While I got Ona as a 6 week old kitten, there were no kittens available at the time of the visit. But there was an extremely affectionate orange tabby. I remember thinking that his face was slightly more elongated than I was used to tabbies having. But his affectionate behavior convinced me to get him all the same.
It wasn’t long after this time that I found myself divorced and on my own. Somehow I got custody of the two cats which suited me just fine. They owned me no matter how much I might like to argue the reverse. They had the run of my two-bedroom apartment and they spent the hours of 4-6am doing much of that running. Even from the start, Flare was a bit of a bully toward Ona. But he was extremely lovable and always meowed incessantly and rubbed against my legs whenever I came home. I spent a lot of time out with friends trying to adjust to bachelorhood again. But my feline companions were always there to greet me when I got home. I certainly attribute much of my sanity in 2002 to both Flare and Ona.
I have numerous memories of Flare throughout the next 8 years. I remember my friends J and J coming over for grilling and beers on a warm summer night. J spent probably 2 hours playing with the cats and a brown paper bag. I don’t remember the cats ever sleeping quite as long as after that episode. Wendy and I both recall that he would always be looking out of the apartment window waiting for us to get home after work.
Wendy and I always joked that Flare thought of himself as a dog. He always put his front paws up on your leg as if he were a small apartment sized dog. His chirping-style meows at times resembled a dog’s bark. And he was never as standoffish as most cats that I’ve met over the years. He was always on the lookout for non-cat people to convert. He usually chose the ones that were allergic as his primary targets.
Flare was never really afraid of water very much. He would often jump up on a sink and try to drink the running water whenever it was in use. This was not exactly conducive to brushing ones teeth mind you. We even let him wander out on the deck in a snow storm once or twice–primarily because he would.
Flare didn’t really know how to knead his claws when I got him. It took a couple years, but we think that Ona taught him the wonders of kneading a fleece blanket. Ever since, he’s was addicted and purred like a diesel engine. While the two used to fight a lot (with Flare usually the dominant bully), every so often we’d find them snuggled against each other and sometimes grooming each other. With that said, it would usually end with a lot of hissing and chasing.
Flare was a definite lap cat. He *loved* to snuggle. I used to joke that it took him an average of 23.2 seconds to end up on someone’s lap after everyone sat down. Primary choices would be the allergic person or someone wearing nice dark clothing. And he was persistent! You’d toss him off and go back to talking to someone or watching TV and next thing you know, he’d be back on your lap again. Eventually you’d forget to toss him off and he’d be all set for a nap. Or if you *were* persistent enough in convincing him that you didn’t have any lap space for him (e.g. using a laptop or holding a baby), he’d give up and go snuggle with the dog. The dog was not very keen on it at first, but she got used to it in the end.
I don’t think that Flare was all that keen on Tyler’s arrival into the pecking order. Flare was pretty certain that he was dominant to all pets in the house and on most days the humans too. Tyler’s presence changed things. He could no longer get the attention that he deserved. But he started taking it in stride once he learned that Tyler could give “pats” too. Eventually, he even willingly laid down within arm’s reach for Tyler just to be close. He would grudgingly stay still while Tyler cheerfully pulled his tail and ears, nipping a bit if Tyler played too rough. All in all it seemed like a budding relationship.
I don’t have much to tell about how he passed. He was apparently fine at lunch time when the dog walkers came to walk Abby. But he didn’t come down to pester us at dinner time like usual. By the time I put Tyler down, I was suspicious that something was wrong and went to check on him. He was lethargic and his breathing was shallow. So I called the emergency pet hospital and they recommended bringing him in. So I spent the next 3-4 hours waiting for test results that turned out to be inconclusive. We decided to leave him overnight so that the doctor could watch him and keep him on oxygen. By 5:30am, the doc called to say that he’d gone downhill in the last 15min. We ran some more tests and woke up some more doctors. By 7:30am, the doc called to say that they had to put him down. I declined to have an autopsy done or keep the ashes, but I asked for his collar back.
And so it is that with a very sad heart and tears in my eyes that I say goodbye to my feline friend. You were a great companion Flare. It breaks my heart that Tyler won’t remember you despite having played with you in his first year. I hope you’re in kitty heaven playing outside, chewing grass and puking it back up just like you always wanted to do down here. We’ll remember you always.
Flare Johnson: ~Sept, 2000 – Jan 26, 2010
Posted by Ed 
Ed
Wendy