Willie Nelson

When Willie arrived at my doorstep I definately wasn't looking and didn't particularly want another animal, and Willie wasn't a baby kitten.  He was a starving, straggly, grey tabby, about a year old and already a little feral.  I guess it was the starving part that I couldn't ignore.  I knew that feeding him made him made mine forever and I broke down and fed him.

I did decide that if I was keeping him, this time I was naming him.  I am a Willie Nelson fan and had a new CD of his.  I was playing this CD the first time Willie came into the house and I thought male or female your name is Willie Nelson.  Bummer was already a quite mature dog by then and Tigger and Large were no longer kittens.  All of them welcomed Willie or at least tolerated him.  It was Willie who was a little unfriendly for a while.  I had the usual big bowl of cat food on the kitchen floor that first day, all the cats headed for the bowl at the same time, that was when Willie spazzed out.  He hissed and growled at Tigger and Large, I think Willie believed that all the food there was on earth.  The other two cats just looked at each other and backed away, they believed there was an endless supply of catfood available.  This behaviour went on for sometime.  I used to wonder why the other two, who were bigger and stronger didn't just turn on him and beat the shit out of him, but they never did, they just looked at him and let him eat first.  Willie had become the dominant cat.

I have no idea where Willie came from and what his background had been but I would bet it wasn't good.  He did like Bummer, in fact wanted to nurse off of  Bummer and often I would hear Bummer yelp when Willie was trying to nurse and he bit Bummer. He slowly found his place in the family.

After I had Willie for a week I took him to the vet for shots and to make an appointment for neutering.  I had noticed that Willie had a couple of strange teeth. I don't know if he was naturally snaggle toothed or if he had been kicked in the teeth as a kitten, but he had one tooth in the top that stuck straight out and one in the bottom that went sideways.  The vet told me that for about $300 to $500 he would attempt to straighten his teeth.  I thought his snaggled tooth look gave him personality and they are still that way.

In 2007, I think it was February, it was cold anyway, Willie jumped up on bed early in the morning.  I was having coffee in bed before going to work, Willie sat on my chest and looked directly into my eyes and told me he was dying.  I don't care if anyone believes this or not, this is what happened.  He didn't meow, he didn't make a sound but he told me.  I called Rusty, grabbed a blanket and waited for Rusty to come to my house.  He drove my car and I held Willie Nelson all the way to the vets.  by this time the vet and everyone in his office were on a first name basis, I am sure I paid for a couple of all inclusive vactions for a couple who worked there.  Anyway as I walked in with Willie wrapped in a blanket, the receptionist got up and I handed her Willie.  I told her this cat is dying, she took him immediately into the back.  I waited about 10 minutes, the Vet came out and said that Willie had Kidney stones and needed an operation immediately.  He began to tell me about the cost, I already had my credit card in my hand.  I realized in that moment how much a part of my family Willie Nelson was.  The next day I picked him up from the vet.  I was back in the car when I started to laugh, with relief I think, the receptionist had brought him from the back and said "Willie Nelson MacCharles".

When I came to my daughter's James was looking after Large and Willie, as I mentioned in my last blog.  When my son took possession of my house, James moved out and Willie was left.  Rusty, my son with the beautiful soul, agreed to take Willie, actually they are a perfect match; neither are your average man/cat.  As far as I know Willie is still there.  When he was first taken there he kept returning home, although now the house was empty except for when my first born or his family are there.  I feel like I abandoned Willie sometimes, yet of all the animals I have owned Willie is my survivor.

There I have talked/written about a very important element of my created family.  These animals comforted me, made me laugh and made me cry.  They made that chapter of my life more pleasant and certainly more interesting.

Sunday, January 15th, 2012.......2:29p.m.