Anipal Photo Hunt #12: All Souls' Day

This weeks Photo Hunt is based on those loved ones that have past on...And there was one special cat that I have to mention. Warning: I do plan on telling Oryan story, both the good and the sad. If you do not wish to read then that's very understandable. Please feel free to scroll to the blog hop link and check out other blogs.

This is Sir CatsALot(left) and Oyran(right). Currently Sir CatsAlot lives with a lovely old lady that spoils him rotten. This photo is shared because of Oryan who passed away when I was in the last year of high school.

I am very sad that I only have about 5 pictures of him, cause you see I had him in the time where digital cameras were not affordable for a young teenager.

Even though this is supposed to be a happy time and post, I still can not help but feel extremely sad. But glad that we could love each other so much. I have never connected with an animal the same way as I did with Oryan, as my mom often says "You two were soul mates" I couldn't go anywhere without him trailing along, even when doing the dishes he would sit on top of the fridge, watching and waiting for me to be done. He was most content when he was in physical contact with me, and would greet me at the door like a dog would. This doesn't mean that I do not love Wilson or Mindy, but there is different kinds of love. And Oryan was at a different level then them. Sorry my babies =)

I was in grade 5 when mom decided to get a kitten. She wanted a black and white kitten but I had my heart set on a ginger tabby. Of course she told me that gingers where ugly so that was out. Turns out that this little family run pet store (Mom was against large corporate pet stores at that time) by our house had a b & w kitten. She bundled us kids up and headed over to look at the cat. Now all I really remember was walking by the kennels and stopping in-front of one, bending down and watched a ginger tabby look up, unroll himself and come charging over and attempt to run his face through the glass at me. I was memorized. I don't even remember my mom looking at the other kitten, or the store keeper (seeing me) start telling mom the ginger kittens story and her saying she might as well take a look at the ginger too.
It was instant love my friends. Mom says that as soon as I had that cat in my arms she gave a sigh of defeat and took him home, much to the extreme glee of a small child.

The story that the stores clerk told my mother was this; how a little girl had found Oryan outside and couldn't keep him. Wanting to give him a good home and not let him back on the street she had asked the store clerk if he could find a home for the ginger fluff ball. Oryan happened to be a large kitten and the store clerk thought he must be around 4-6 months old. To old for most people to want a cat. He promised the girl he would try, but he could only keep him for a few days till the store owner got back. No one showed interest in him, they all wanted the black and white kittens siblings. It just so happened that we showed up a few hours before the local humane society said they would drop by and pick him up.

He was a huge cat, just shy of 20 pounds, loved pickles (no really, they were his kitty crack. I couldn't even touch a pickle jar without him right there looking at me) and had a large amount of health problems. I still wish he was here, he would have shown Wilson and Mindy a thing or two. Unfortunately one night I hear him meowing and called him over. He didn't show up so I went searching and found him trying to drag himself over to me. His back legs where cold and he was in pain. We took him to the emergency vet where they told us that his heart(he had an enlarge heart) wasn't beating strong enough and blood had clotted in one of the chambers. One of those clots broke away and became stuck in one of his blood veins, blocking the blood to his lower half of his body. He was in incredible pain. We could of gave him blood thinners, but the vet said that it might make things worse. We could of sent him into sugary, but the success rate of this surgery was 50% successful and recovery was painful. But this kind of this would happen again after, and there was no guarantee if the next clot would go to his brain or somewhere else causing him extreme pain again. I couldn't let that happen and so my sweet Oryan was put down.

I still have his ashes, I can't part with them. I got a necklace made that has some of his ashes enclosed in a metal heart shape so I could take him with me everywhere. He's been to England and Mexico, this cat had traveled more then most animals. Most pictures of me shows me wearing him, I still wear this necklace to this day. Some people think that the necklace is disgusting.

So let me be clear.

I. Don't. Care.

Animal lovers generally understand, and he's always with me.

That's what matters.

Happy Side Note: Mom now finds gingers very very handsome.