Then again, I felt the same way about him when my Sister and mother along with an old Neighbor friend Troy ( who was the Stan Lee of pets) brought KitCat into the house ( back in 2003). It wasn't that I never wanted pets.. It's just that I knew like all things, there comes a time where you don't want to say good bye to someone that changed your life in a profound and significant way. Fast Track to 2008, on the last day of March, two days after my birthday, a famiy friend of mine ( K.Stephens) came to check what had happened and in a brief quiet moment my family rushed to the vet ( ASPCA at 92nd street) to see what happened to Flash. The Vet told us that she had a collapsed lung. Flash did not die up until we arrived to the place and just like that, once I saw my sister and my mother's reaction, It hit me like a shit ton of bricks. we were balling tears. One of the worst factors of Flash's death wasn't the fact that she died, it was the fact that she died, only two months after being born. A life that didn't even get to live that long a span, cut like a thin dangling thread. I remember on April 1st ,2008 entering the hallways of my school, people cracking april fools jokes, unaware of what happened as to why I wasn't present the day before. After I broke the news, I t was a reflective silence that stood with me. a few years following that, I remember a friend's Then god father talking to me about when his mother died and saying that i havent experienced that yet and then I told him that although I didn't know ,nor want to know what that is like, I have experienced losing my kitten. I remember him saying that that was nothing compared to losing a parent, but he wasn't as more right as he was even more wrong. In my eyes, a life no matter how grand or small in scale, in the grand scheme of things, over all matters.
Fast forward to 2015, my sister and I were concerned for our cat Kit Cat due to his figure going from full figured /big and healthy, to rapidly becoming so thin and frail. I remember seeing that and being so shocked as to how dramatically within a month his health declined. yet despite all of that, He was still willing to move around. Seeing his behavior reminded me of a good old friend of mine named Sean "Doc" Grennan ( who was a well known homicide detective). In his final years he had developed a type of Cancer and his wife ( My former middle school/high school math teacher) called up my Co Founder and I to visit him. I remember seeing Doc with a tube in his neck, and his figure being so thin and frail, yet despite the circumstances, was still willing to crack jokes and move around. Then a week later, on the last week of october 2014, I was notified by my Co Founder that Doc passed away. Within the same day, my Friend Dougie aka Action Jackson, inboxed me on facebook to inform me that our neighborhood friend Christopher K. Brown had also passed away from cancer. That shit hit me like a ton of bricks despite maintaining my composure.
Tracking back to the last month of 2015, my mother, my sister and I were growing much more concerned about Kit Cat's declining health. It was hard to fathom that a family member, who was more a person than a Cat, was having something like that happening to him right before our eyes. We had tons of discussions of what we were going to do, when to take him to the vet, etc. But during all this, as college students, we were just as focused on other things. We tried buying other dietary foods that would prevent anything along the lines of hairballs and all. But it didnt help much, let alone his lack of ability to eat or move. and then, the day after New Years, January 1st, 2016, I woke up early at around 7am , This time around working on some designs before my Fall 2 classes start ( in a week) and i was bumping some music ( mainly listening to drake to get enthusiastic and such). And Suddenly a familiar thing started to happen. I hear My sister talking, I hear her boyfriend talking, I hear my mother talking and then, it lead to assembling the old grand cage, getting a blanket and then leaving immediately to the vet. after a few misdirections, finding out that ASPCA was closed, we finally arrived to AMC (Animal Medical Center, which is a 24 hour medical center). during that whole entire trip, I saw Kit Cat sticking out his paw with one claw holding onto my sister's Scarf while he was inside his cage bundled up with blankets. he was wailing until we arrived.
I was trying to maintain my composure, made some humorous puns, but to no avail did it really do much. When we spoke to one of the vets, we had a brutally honest conversation as to what was going on, the costs and everything. throughout all of this while the vets were checking up on Kit Cat, my sister and I were sitting in the waiting room. My sister mentioned to remembering Geoff Johns' Green Lantern book where the main Character Dexter ( a cat who is part of the Red Lantern Corps) was remembering his owner, and sleeping by his owners remains, protecting it while saying to himself that he remembers his owners kindness and that he was a "good kitty". Through out all this , I wanted to do whatever it took to bring Kit Cat to good health. I kept thinking about Captain America: The Winter Solider film, and how Cap tells his friend Bucky that no matter what, that he was going to be with his friend "till the end of the line". And I kept thinking, that if there is a chance, that we would take it, just to get home boy back to full health.
The vet finally comes back, takes us to a private room to discuss the matter. No matter what we wanted to do, it was financially out of our hands. There was no miracle at work at this very moment. The vet decided to bring Kit Cat's frail body to the room and In that moment, I requested the vet to leave the room to give my sister and I a moment alone. We talked with him, we cried with him, we even prayed with him. and through all this, he still wrapped his paws around my sisters hands like a ill child calling to his mother. In the end, we felt useless, we couldn't do a thing to help that one person that changed our life in variety of positive ways. Even in the end, we stood with him until he passed. Even after walking home, reflecting on good times with Kit Cat, even when my sister talked about Harry Potter and how the story of the three brothers who no matter what they could do ,could not escape death didn't amount to the kind of anger, pain, sadness and frustration that carried over us.
When we arrived home and broke the news to our mother, It broke her. and just like that it broke us. As my sister and I entered her room, we automatically cried because in his final years, he resided there. always chilling by lisa's office space as if he was a scholar of the arts , ready to read and write the papers of the day. My mother entered the room soon after and broke down in tears again. I walked into my room, and saw my cat Stonie, and I sat with her. I put on my headphones. Kendrick Lamar's "Sing about me", Tool's " wings of Marie pt 1 and 2", Jeff Buckley's " last good bye" , Radiohead's " give up the ghost", and a number of other songs flood my ears as I was drawing a digital piece dedicated to Flash, cats such as Lily and Scotty/Shadow who we had to give away all those years ago, and lastly recognizing my two living cats Stonie and Salem. Ultimately, The one who was getting the most dedication, the most praise and recognition was my cat, King Kit Cat.
There will never be a cat like him, who was as kind as he was stubborn. who always had funny mannerisms, was always playful, who always had a wonderful display of fur that showcased a bat/ eagle like shape on his back, with a dolphin shaped figure laying across his furry spine. In the end, I wish there was so much more that I could have done for him. I know my sister feels that way in more ways than one, since she was the one who basically mothered and raised these cats, let alone my own mom feels this way too. As I woke up and finished the piece during a somber 5am dark, somber morning, I couldn't help but shed tears for every time i reflected on how he was holding my sister's hand. 13 years of age, and he grew and transitioned just like the rest of the family. He was with us when we moved from 112st to 117st
in spanish harlem, and ended his final years with us in the bronx. It's not the same without him, and it never will be. He always had a big ass head compared to his whole entire figure, but he always lifted his paws up like a boxer. I wrote briefly about him on facebook and instagram, but i couldn't simply copy and paste it and leave it at that. he needed a proper eulogy that gave him his kind of day. I now know remember January 1st in a different light.
This is the piece I did of King Kit Cat Andujar. The top picture is the last pic we took with him before he passed.
The bottom is the full Piece with a passage that I wrote about him on both Facebook and Instagram.: May the Force be with you Kit Cat.
Kit Cat Andujar: in 2003, my sister brought in a pet into my life. I never wanted a pet, which is usually because i knew the eventual conclusion. But This cat , was the first cat. Pretty much like the first robin (Richard Grayson) to my batman. My sister and my mother along with myself went through a life changing process with him. He impacted my life as much as my sister. He was a kind, loving cat that always reminded me of Clint Eastwood. My friend @actionjackson_thc used to come over (back when I lived in Spanish Harlem 117st) and we'd play video games. Kit Cat would always chill on top of the tv. We used to call him shorty du wat because he always walked in like he was the GOAT.
Which funny enough he was and is. He was always a stubborn cat when it came to getting his way and never giving up until he got it. He was always persistent. I can't feel for a human being as much as I can for a pet and that's because they show us the positive nurturing nature that we inhibit rather than our political, religious , war like nature that we tend to recycle. Just like with my kitten flash, I woke up early around 7am, ready to face the year, was bumping some music and working on some new print designs and refining old ones. I wouldn't have thought that I'd wake up and go to the animal center and realize that there was no financial resource, or miracle that could save or prolong his life span.
I haven't felt this way for so long. Haven't cried that many tears in so long. as always, I tend to crack jokes here and there to lighten the gravity/ sad truth. My sister and I took our time, long periods of crying , reflecting memories, prayer and thinking of what we could have done differently, and what we'd hope our big boy would see as he made his transition to the next life. in his final hours he held my sisters hand like a ill child holding their mothers hand for help. Not a lot of people understand the significance of having a pet or child and the responsibilities, differences ,changes and parallels that come with it. He listened and held out to give me a new start in 2016. Gonna work on a tribute. See you soon Angel. Reminds me why life is precious. May 1st ,2003- January 1st, 2016.
He always liked being on top of the TV, Shelf , or laptop mostly because he liked showing that he was on equal level. Always showing he could catch up. Even with all the other cats, he liked being top dog. One of the kindest cats I've known. Listening to Kendick Lamar's "sing about me" and Tool's "wings of Marie pt 1 & 2" helped me through this process and piece. My tribute to the King, King Kit Cat. May 2003 - January 1st 2016. may the force be with you always buddy.
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