We often joked that Noah had more aliases than a "WANTED" poster! -- "Noah," "No-No," "Big Boy," "Boofer"...the list went on and on. He was the most loving, stocky ginger tom we'd ever rescued.
We acquired him when he was left alone with about a dozen other cats at an old cinderblock farmhouse, after the tenants moved out. No food, no water -- just a couple large empty aluminum pie pans left on the front porch. Hungry though they all were, the oddest thing was that while all the other cats were making a beeline for the food pans, Noah's face was seen in the middle of the throng, looking upwards towards his benefactors. When he spotted you, before rushing off to eat he would exit the crowd, walk over and give you a gentle purr as he wove in and around your feet, as if to say, "Thank you so much!" He got his name from the fact that he was also the only stray cat willing to trust us enough to accompany us in our vehicle away from the abandoned property.
It was primarily these things that led us to adopt him over all the other cats present; and although his appetite soon took center stage, throughout the years he never stopped being the gentle, affectionate and intelligent boy he was from that first day. One of his cutest mannerisms was leaning his thick, muscular long tail over the edge of the living room coffee table as he walked, so that any tall knicknacks or objects near the edge (including books and magazines) would fall off! =^..^= He acted all innocent and stuff, but we knew he knew what he was doing!
One evening he had gotten really tired out where he literally fell asleep while reclining on his back in my arms. While that might not seem too unusual to a cat owner, he was so relaxed and at ease, he was snoring softly with his mouth open and his little pink tongue hanging out! :-P A friend who spotted him in that position quietly snuck up and lightly touched his finger to his tongue to see what he'd do. I said, "Aw, don't disturb him...see, now you woke him up!" I'd have given anything to have gotten a picture or short video clip of the incident.
Noah always had the cutest, most memorable ways of doing things and endearing himself to your heart. When he was about six years old, he had gone off his food and was losing weight. The veterinarian did some tests and concluded he had diabetes. Most cats, he said, really didn't respond well to the monitoring and treatment and he recommended euthanasia. After sensing we weren't going to give up, he finally referred us to a specialist out-of-town.
Noah's blood sugar was stabilized and we were given instructions for administering daily insulin injections. Although we weren't strangers to the malady (as my father also had the condition), being a cat we weren't sure how easily he would cooperate. It turned out we needn't have worried, however. As long as there was a food dish in sight, he would stand still and eat while we gave him the shot and he didn't even flinch! (which was perfect as the insulin was to be given just before meals). Although he loved to eat and probably weighed about 17 pounds at his heaviest, he wasn't really overweight, just quite muscular and stocky, like our present ginger tom. Still we found it necessary to take him off free-choice feed and carefully control his meal portions so as not to aggravate the condition.
He did really well (with occasional veterinary monitoring) for about the next three years. Looking back, I suppose it was easy to become complacent after a while. However around February of 1997 he started getting picky at mealtimes and rejecting his customary food. He would look at it and then at us as if to say, "Is that all I get??"...
We thought he was just being finicky; but we know now that is a cat-and-mouse game that should never be played. He started losing weight and by the time we'd gotten him back to the vet he was dehydrated as well as physically weakened. He had developed kidney disease on top of the diabetes, we'd learned, and had gone into ketosis. He was put on a special canned food diet (which he really didn't care for) and we gave him subcutaneous fluids for a couple weeks to try and get things back into balance; but we just caught it too late. Despite all our efforts, during the early afternoon of March 24th he began having uncontrollable seizures and had to be euthanized. :( All of this happened just six weeks before my wedding, which was quite an emotional and physical strain on top of the stress I was already experiencing.
Noah was only 9 years old, and although our time with him had been full and rich, we felt like he could have been with us longer had we been more observant to the signs and symptoms he was displaying. Cats (along with some other pets) have a tendency to hide when they are feeling poorly, as it is part of their survival instinct in the wild. He was the most wonderful cat we'd ever owned, however -- even my Dad liked him, and he didn't care for cats much. :) But I envision them now keeping each other company up in heaven where they are waiting for us; and every so often Noah will take a walk down to the rainbow bridge just to see if anyone he knows is close to the horizon. He is our most special kitty and will always be loved and remembered. †
--------------------------------------------
**With thanks and appreciation to Sheila White Hughes for sponsoring Noah's memorial. ♥
We acquired him when he was left alone with about a dozen other cats at an old cinderblock farmhouse, after the tenants moved out. No food, no water -- just a couple large empty aluminum pie pans left on the front porch. Hungry though they all were, the oddest thing was that while all the other cats were making a beeline for the food pans, Noah's face was seen in the middle of the throng, looking upwards towards his benefactors. When he spotted you, before rushing off to eat he would exit the crowd, walk over and give you a gentle purr as he wove in and around your feet, as if to say, "Thank you so much!" He got his name from the fact that he was also the only stray cat willing to trust us enough to accompany us in our vehicle away from the abandoned property.
It was primarily these things that led us to adopt him over all the other cats present; and although his appetite soon took center stage, throughout the years he never stopped being the gentle, affectionate and intelligent boy he was from that first day. One of his cutest mannerisms was leaning his thick, muscular long tail over the edge of the living room coffee table as he walked, so that any tall knicknacks or objects near the edge (including books and magazines) would fall off! =^..^= He acted all innocent and stuff, but we knew he knew what he was doing!
One evening he had gotten really tired out where he literally fell asleep while reclining on his back in my arms. While that might not seem too unusual to a cat owner, he was so relaxed and at ease, he was snoring softly with his mouth open and his little pink tongue hanging out! :-P A friend who spotted him in that position quietly snuck up and lightly touched his finger to his tongue to see what he'd do. I said, "Aw, don't disturb him...see, now you woke him up!" I'd have given anything to have gotten a picture or short video clip of the incident.
Noah always had the cutest, most memorable ways of doing things and endearing himself to your heart. When he was about six years old, he had gone off his food and was losing weight. The veterinarian did some tests and concluded he had diabetes. Most cats, he said, really didn't respond well to the monitoring and treatment and he recommended euthanasia. After sensing we weren't going to give up, he finally referred us to a specialist out-of-town.
Noah's blood sugar was stabilized and we were given instructions for administering daily insulin injections. Although we weren't strangers to the malady (as my father also had the condition), being a cat we weren't sure how easily he would cooperate. It turned out we needn't have worried, however. As long as there was a food dish in sight, he would stand still and eat while we gave him the shot and he didn't even flinch! (which was perfect as the insulin was to be given just before meals). Although he loved to eat and probably weighed about 17 pounds at his heaviest, he wasn't really overweight, just quite muscular and stocky, like our present ginger tom. Still we found it necessary to take him off free-choice feed and carefully control his meal portions so as not to aggravate the condition.
He did really well (with occasional veterinary monitoring) for about the next three years. Looking back, I suppose it was easy to become complacent after a while. However around February of 1997 he started getting picky at mealtimes and rejecting his customary food. He would look at it and then at us as if to say, "Is that all I get??"...
We thought he was just being finicky; but we know now that is a cat-and-mouse game that should never be played. He started losing weight and by the time we'd gotten him back to the vet he was dehydrated as well as physically weakened. He had developed kidney disease on top of the diabetes, we'd learned, and had gone into ketosis. He was put on a special canned food diet (which he really didn't care for) and we gave him subcutaneous fluids for a couple weeks to try and get things back into balance; but we just caught it too late. Despite all our efforts, during the early afternoon of March 24th he began having uncontrollable seizures and had to be euthanized. :( All of this happened just six weeks before my wedding, which was quite an emotional and physical strain on top of the stress I was already experiencing.
Noah was only 9 years old, and although our time with him had been full and rich, we felt like he could have been with us longer had we been more observant to the signs and symptoms he was displaying. Cats (along with some other pets) have a tendency to hide when they are feeling poorly, as it is part of their survival instinct in the wild. He was the most wonderful cat we'd ever owned, however -- even my Dad liked him, and he didn't care for cats much. :) But I envision them now keeping each other company up in heaven where they are waiting for us; and every so often Noah will take a walk down to the rainbow bridge just to see if anyone he knows is close to the horizon. He is our most special kitty and will always be loved and remembered. †
--------------------------------------------
**With thanks and appreciation to Sheila White Hughes for sponsoring Noah's memorial. ♥
We often joked that Noah had more aliases than a "WANTED" poster! -- "Noah," "No-No," "Big Boy," "Boofer"...the list went on and on. He was the most loving, stocky ginger tom we'd ever rescued.
We acquired him when he was left alone with about a dozen other cats at an old cinderblock farmhouse, after the tenants moved out. No food, no water -- just a couple large empty aluminum pie pans left on the front porch. Hungry though they all were, the oddest thing was that while all the other cats were making a beeline for the food pans, Noah's face was seen in the middle of the throng, looking upwards towards his benefactors. When he spotted you, before rushing off to eat he would exit the crowd, walk over and give you a gentle purr as he wove in and around your feet, as if to say, "Thank you so much!" He got his name from the fact that he was also the only stray cat willing to trust us enough to accompany us in our vehicle away from the abandoned property.
It was primarily these things that led us to adopt him over all the other cats present; and although his appetite soon took center stage, throughout the years he never stopped being the gentle, affectionate and intelligent boy he was from that first day. One of his cutest mannerisms was leaning his thick, muscular long tail over the edge of the living room coffee table as he walked, so that any tall knicknacks or objects near the edge (including books and magazines) would fall off! =^..^= He acted all innocent and stuff, but we knew he knew what he was doing!
One evening he had gotten really tired out where he literally fell asleep while reclining on his back in my arms. While that might not seem too unusual to a cat owner, he was so relaxed and at ease, he was snoring softly with his mouth open and his little pink tongue hanging out! :-P A friend who spotted him in that position quietly snuck up and lightly touched his finger to his tongue to see what he'd do. I said, "Aw, don't disturb him...see, now you woke him up!" I'd have given anything to have gotten a picture or short video clip of the incident.
Noah always had the cutest, most memorable ways of doing things and endearing himself to your heart. When he was about six years old, he had gone off his food and was losing weight. The veterinarian did some tests and concluded he had diabetes. Most cats, he said, really didn't respond well to the monitoring and treatment and he recommended euthanasia. After sensing we weren't going to give up, he finally referred us to a specialist out-of-town.
Noah's blood sugar was stabilized and we were given instructions for administering daily insulin injections. Although we weren't strangers to the malady (as my father also had the condition), being a cat we weren't sure how easily he would cooperate. It turned out we needn't have worried, however. As long as there was a food dish in sight, he would stand still and eat while we gave him the shot and he didn't even flinch! (which was perfect as the insulin was to be given just before meals). Although he loved to eat and probably weighed about 17 pounds at his heaviest, he wasn't really overweight, just quite muscular and stocky, like our present ginger tom. Still we found it necessary to take him off free-choice feed and carefully control his meal portions so as not to aggravate the condition.
He did really well (with occasional veterinary monitoring) for about the next three years. Looking back, I suppose it was easy to become complacent after a while. However around February of 1997 he started getting picky at mealtimes and rejecting his customary food. He would look at it and then at us as if to say, "Is that all I get??"...
We thought he was just being finicky; but we know now that is a cat-and-mouse game that should never be played. He started losing weight and by the time we'd gotten him back to the vet he was dehydrated as well as physically weakened. He had developed kidney disease on top of the diabetes, we'd learned, and had gone into ketosis. He was put on a special canned food diet (which he really didn't care for) and we gave him subcutaneous fluids for a couple weeks to try and get things back into balance; but we just caught it too late. Despite all our efforts, during the early afternoon of March 24th he began having uncontrollable seizures and had to be euthanized. :( All of this happened just six weeks before my wedding, which was quite an emotional and physical strain on top of the stress I was already experiencing.
Noah was only 9 years old, and although our time with him had been full and rich, we felt like he could have been with us longer had we been more observant to the signs and symptoms he was displaying. Cats (along with some other pets) have a tendency to hide when they are feeling poorly, as it is part of their survival instinct in the wild. He was the most wonderful cat we'd ever owned, however -- even my Dad liked him, and he didn't care for cats much. :) But I envision them now keeping each other company up in heaven where they are waiting for us; and every so often Noah will take a walk down to the rainbow bridge just to see if anyone he knows is close to the horizon. He is our most special kitty and will always be loved and remembered. †
--------------------------------------------
**With thanks and appreciation to Sheila White Hughes for sponsoring Noah's memorial. ♥
We acquired him when he was left alone with about a dozen other cats at an old cinderblock farmhouse, after the tenants moved out. No food, no water -- just a couple large empty aluminum pie pans left on the front porch. Hungry though they all were, the oddest thing was that while all the other cats were making a beeline for the food pans, Noah's face was seen in the middle of the throng, looking upwards towards his benefactors. When he spotted you, before rushing off to eat he would exit the crowd, walk over and give you a gentle purr as he wove in and around your feet, as if to say, "Thank you so much!" He got his name from the fact that he was also the only stray cat willing to trust us enough to accompany us in our vehicle away from the abandoned property.
It was primarily these things that led us to adopt him over all the other cats present; and although his appetite soon took center stage, throughout the years he never stopped being the gentle, affectionate and intelligent boy he was from that first day. One of his cutest mannerisms was leaning his thick, muscular long tail over the edge of the living room coffee table as he walked, so that any tall knicknacks or objects near the edge (including books and magazines) would fall off! =^..^= He acted all innocent and stuff, but we knew he knew what he was doing!
One evening he had gotten really tired out where he literally fell asleep while reclining on his back in my arms. While that might not seem too unusual to a cat owner, he was so relaxed and at ease, he was snoring softly with his mouth open and his little pink tongue hanging out! :-P A friend who spotted him in that position quietly snuck up and lightly touched his finger to his tongue to see what he'd do. I said, "Aw, don't disturb him...see, now you woke him up!" I'd have given anything to have gotten a picture or short video clip of the incident.
Noah always had the cutest, most memorable ways of doing things and endearing himself to your heart. When he was about six years old, he had gone off his food and was losing weight. The veterinarian did some tests and concluded he had diabetes. Most cats, he said, really didn't respond well to the monitoring and treatment and he recommended euthanasia. After sensing we weren't going to give up, he finally referred us to a specialist out-of-town.
Noah's blood sugar was stabilized and we were given instructions for administering daily insulin injections. Although we weren't strangers to the malady (as my father also had the condition), being a cat we weren't sure how easily he would cooperate. It turned out we needn't have worried, however. As long as there was a food dish in sight, he would stand still and eat while we gave him the shot and he didn't even flinch! (which was perfect as the insulin was to be given just before meals). Although he loved to eat and probably weighed about 17 pounds at his heaviest, he wasn't really overweight, just quite muscular and stocky, like our present ginger tom. Still we found it necessary to take him off free-choice feed and carefully control his meal portions so as not to aggravate the condition.
He did really well (with occasional veterinary monitoring) for about the next three years. Looking back, I suppose it was easy to become complacent after a while. However around February of 1997 he started getting picky at mealtimes and rejecting his customary food. He would look at it and then at us as if to say, "Is that all I get??"...
We thought he was just being finicky; but we know now that is a cat-and-mouse game that should never be played. He started losing weight and by the time we'd gotten him back to the vet he was dehydrated as well as physically weakened. He had developed kidney disease on top of the diabetes, we'd learned, and had gone into ketosis. He was put on a special canned food diet (which he really didn't care for) and we gave him subcutaneous fluids for a couple weeks to try and get things back into balance; but we just caught it too late. Despite all our efforts, during the early afternoon of March 24th he began having uncontrollable seizures and had to be euthanized. :( All of this happened just six weeks before my wedding, which was quite an emotional and physical strain on top of the stress I was already experiencing.
Noah was only 9 years old, and although our time with him had been full and rich, we felt like he could have been with us longer had we been more observant to the signs and symptoms he was displaying. Cats (along with some other pets) have a tendency to hide when they are feeling poorly, as it is part of their survival instinct in the wild. He was the most wonderful cat we'd ever owned, however -- even my Dad liked him, and he didn't care for cats much. :) But I envision them now keeping each other company up in heaven where they are waiting for us; and every so often Noah will take a walk down to the rainbow bridge just to see if anyone he knows is close to the horizon. He is our most special kitty and will always be loved and remembered. †
--------------------------------------------
**With thanks and appreciation to Sheila White Hughes for sponsoring Noah's memorial. ♥
