This loving memorial comes from all of my heart to the everlasting memory of my dear Salem.
It was such a shock and heartbreak to lose Salem, so soon after I lost his brother Toby. I just couldn't believe it, he seemed happy and well, especially after I had taken him to the vet a month earlier and they had declared him a perfectly health cat. He had lost a little weight but I thought he had just lost interested in his cat food. I should never have assumed...
My sweet Salem, my precious angel, came into the world in 2012 in Benton, Arkansas. He and his family were slated for euthanasia due to the abundance of kitties in this world so after seeing a plea to save them, I did. I took three of the kittens to foster, Jeanie, Addie and Georgie. Addie and Georgie were adopted quickly, which left Jeanie. I decided to adopt Jeanie and needed a companion for her, so I went to the foster of another brother of hers, a black kitty who looked just like his mother, who she called Wasabi. She said he was "very sweet" and he definitely was, all of his life. He was the favorite of the family due to his sweetness and the way he went along with anything. I named him Salem.
My mom, Emma Jean Burris knew him too, for his first year. He was a little kitten and grew into a beautiful cat the first year of his life. She always said he had the most beautiful golden eyes. He most definitely did. And she helped me weigh him and his sister the first year and helped me track their weight. She wasn't the biggest fan of cats, but she grew to love him and hold him like they were her own. And she called he and his sister "twins". I still miss her too.
I think he may have had a touch of Pica, the OCD of cats, with his extra interest in any crackly paper or packing tape. Even if there was food in it, he always wanted the paper, not the food. Every time I used a lint roller he came running, every time I taped up a package, he came running.
We lived on Shamrock for the first 2 years of his life and he and his sister were kept as indoor only cats, though he always had the hunger to go outside. He escaped a few times but never went far and he always meowed "talked" and I found him and brought him back in. He ran under a bush at the Hendrix house once, so he did feel the grass under his feet at least once. I always felt bad that he was kept inside, but after what happened to my first cat Hershey in 1995, I couldn't let him out.
Salem was such a good boy! He never bit, scratched, hissed, took a swipe at me or anyone, or did anything aggressive. He loved being picked up. I used to pick him up and give him a "tour of the house", taking him in to each room, where he looked around and then we would go to the next one and he would look around again. He loved it. I guess the different perspective he saw the rooms was interesting to him. He was up high and I held him securely in my arms. He got along great in the beginning with Jeanie and when Toby came into my life, they were great snuggle buddies.
He also loved making biscuits on my chest. He would get in my lap, jump up and knead while making holes in my shirts, but I didn't care. His little claws were sharp though! He loved catnip! I have several pictures and videos of him playing with catnip toys. He would hold them in his front legs and kick his back legs on the toy and have so much fun. He loved climbing cat trees and sleeping in the top bunk. I could see his little ears sticking up as I was sitting on the sofa. He knew his name pretty quickly and came every time I called.
Some of the "pet" names I gave him: Salesman (from the Monkees song), Sales, Sweet Angel, Precious Angel, Big Boy.
He lived for 10 years. I always thought he would live well in to his teens but it wasn't meant to be. At 10 years I decided to take him back to the vet and have him checked out, have his blood checked and his shots up to date, which I did, plus have the benign tumor on the back of his head removed. As soon as I had that done, he began to show signs of another illness. Even when I had his blood checked it showed as "normal". A month later he started hiding and I knew that meant he was sick. I took him in and the vet didn't think anything was initially wrong, other than a possible urinary tract infection. Upon more x-rays and tests they discovered malignant cancer in 4 places. I was in total shock. Most could be removed, but one could not. This happened at a dreadful time, I had planned a 4 day trip for months and had to leave him at the vet while I was gone because he had stopped eating. We were hoping they could get him to eat, but when I returned, he had not and was getting worse. He didn't like staying at the vet, he wanted to come home... I was leaving town so he had to stay there. I was with him when he passed peacefully on Monday afternoon December 12, 2022, the day before my mom died 9 years earlier. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was and will always be heartbroken and will love him and miss him forever.
It was such a shock and heartbreak to lose Salem, so soon after I lost his brother Toby. I just couldn't believe it, he seemed happy and well, especially after I had taken him to the vet a month earlier and they had declared him a perfectly health cat. He had lost a little weight but I thought he had just lost interested in his cat food. I should never have assumed...
My sweet Salem, my precious angel, came into the world in 2012 in Benton, Arkansas. He and his family were slated for euthanasia due to the abundance of kitties in this world so after seeing a plea to save them, I did. I took three of the kittens to foster, Jeanie, Addie and Georgie. Addie and Georgie were adopted quickly, which left Jeanie. I decided to adopt Jeanie and needed a companion for her, so I went to the foster of another brother of hers, a black kitty who looked just like his mother, who she called Wasabi. She said he was "very sweet" and he definitely was, all of his life. He was the favorite of the family due to his sweetness and the way he went along with anything. I named him Salem.
My mom, Emma Jean Burris knew him too, for his first year. He was a little kitten and grew into a beautiful cat the first year of his life. She always said he had the most beautiful golden eyes. He most definitely did. And she helped me weigh him and his sister the first year and helped me track their weight. She wasn't the biggest fan of cats, but she grew to love him and hold him like they were her own. And she called he and his sister "twins". I still miss her too.
I think he may have had a touch of Pica, the OCD of cats, with his extra interest in any crackly paper or packing tape. Even if there was food in it, he always wanted the paper, not the food. Every time I used a lint roller he came running, every time I taped up a package, he came running.
We lived on Shamrock for the first 2 years of his life and he and his sister were kept as indoor only cats, though he always had the hunger to go outside. He escaped a few times but never went far and he always meowed "talked" and I found him and brought him back in. He ran under a bush at the Hendrix house once, so he did feel the grass under his feet at least once. I always felt bad that he was kept inside, but after what happened to my first cat Hershey in 1995, I couldn't let him out.
Salem was such a good boy! He never bit, scratched, hissed, took a swipe at me or anyone, or did anything aggressive. He loved being picked up. I used to pick him up and give him a "tour of the house", taking him in to each room, where he looked around and then we would go to the next one and he would look around again. He loved it. I guess the different perspective he saw the rooms was interesting to him. He was up high and I held him securely in my arms. He got along great in the beginning with Jeanie and when Toby came into my life, they were great snuggle buddies.
He also loved making biscuits on my chest. He would get in my lap, jump up and knead while making holes in my shirts, but I didn't care. His little claws were sharp though! He loved catnip! I have several pictures and videos of him playing with catnip toys. He would hold them in his front legs and kick his back legs on the toy and have so much fun. He loved climbing cat trees and sleeping in the top bunk. I could see his little ears sticking up as I was sitting on the sofa. He knew his name pretty quickly and came every time I called.
Some of the "pet" names I gave him: Salesman (from the Monkees song), Sales, Sweet Angel, Precious Angel, Big Boy.
He lived for 10 years. I always thought he would live well in to his teens but it wasn't meant to be. At 10 years I decided to take him back to the vet and have him checked out, have his blood checked and his shots up to date, which I did, plus have the benign tumor on the back of his head removed. As soon as I had that done, he began to show signs of another illness. Even when I had his blood checked it showed as "normal". A month later he started hiding and I knew that meant he was sick. I took him in and the vet didn't think anything was initially wrong, other than a possible urinary tract infection. Upon more x-rays and tests they discovered malignant cancer in 4 places. I was in total shock. Most could be removed, but one could not. This happened at a dreadful time, I had planned a 4 day trip for months and had to leave him at the vet while I was gone because he had stopped eating. We were hoping they could get him to eat, but when I returned, he had not and was getting worse. He didn't like staying at the vet, he wanted to come home... I was leaving town so he had to stay there. I was with him when he passed peacefully on Monday afternoon December 12, 2022, the day before my mom died 9 years earlier. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was and will always be heartbroken and will love him and miss him forever.
This loving memorial comes from all of my heart to the everlasting memory of my dear Salem.
It was such a shock and heartbreak to lose Salem, so soon after I lost his brother Toby. I just couldn't believe it, he seemed happy and well, especially after I had taken him to the vet a month earlier and they had declared him a perfectly health cat. He had lost a little weight but I thought he had just lost interested in his cat food. I should never have assumed...
My sweet Salem, my precious angel, came into the world in 2012 in Benton, Arkansas. He and his family were slated for euthanasia due to the abundance of kitties in this world so after seeing a plea to save them, I did. I took three of the kittens to foster, Jeanie, Addie and Georgie. Addie and Georgie were adopted quickly, which left Jeanie. I decided to adopt Jeanie and needed a companion for her, so I went to the foster of another brother of hers, a black kitty who looked just like his mother, who she called Wasabi. She said he was "very sweet" and he definitely was, all of his life. He was the favorite of the family due to his sweetness and the way he went along with anything. I named him Salem.
My mom, Emma Jean Burris knew him too, for his first year. He was a little kitten and grew into a beautiful cat the first year of his life. She always said he had the most beautiful golden eyes. He most definitely did. And she helped me weigh him and his sister the first year and helped me track their weight. She wasn't the biggest fan of cats, but she grew to love him and hold him like they were her own. And she called he and his sister "twins". I still miss her too.
I think he may have had a touch of Pica, the OCD of cats, with his extra interest in any crackly paper or packing tape. Even if there was food in it, he always wanted the paper, not the food. Every time I used a lint roller he came running, every time I taped up a package, he came running.
We lived on Shamrock for the first 2 years of his life and he and his sister were kept as indoor only cats, though he always had the hunger to go outside. He escaped a few times but never went far and he always meowed "talked" and I found him and brought him back in. He ran under a bush at the Hendrix house once, so he did feel the grass under his feet at least once. I always felt bad that he was kept inside, but after what happened to my first cat Hershey in 1995, I couldn't let him out.
Salem was such a good boy! He never bit, scratched, hissed, took a swipe at me or anyone, or did anything aggressive. He loved being picked up. I used to pick him up and give him a "tour of the house", taking him in to each room, where he looked around and then we would go to the next one and he would look around again. He loved it. I guess the different perspective he saw the rooms was interesting to him. He was up high and I held him securely in my arms. He got along great in the beginning with Jeanie and when Toby came into my life, they were great snuggle buddies.
He also loved making biscuits on my chest. He would get in my lap, jump up and knead while making holes in my shirts, but I didn't care. His little claws were sharp though! He loved catnip! I have several pictures and videos of him playing with catnip toys. He would hold them in his front legs and kick his back legs on the toy and have so much fun. He loved climbing cat trees and sleeping in the top bunk. I could see his little ears sticking up as I was sitting on the sofa. He knew his name pretty quickly and came every time I called.
Some of the "pet" names I gave him: Salesman (from the Monkees song), Sales, Sweet Angel, Precious Angel, Big Boy.
He lived for 10 years. I always thought he would live well in to his teens but it wasn't meant to be. At 10 years I decided to take him back to the vet and have him checked out, have his blood checked and his shots up to date, which I did, plus have the benign tumor on the back of his head removed. As soon as I had that done, he began to show signs of another illness. Even when I had his blood checked it showed as "normal". A month later he started hiding and I knew that meant he was sick. I took him in and the vet didn't think anything was initially wrong, other than a possible urinary tract infection. Upon more x-rays and tests they discovered malignant cancer in 4 places. I was in total shock. Most could be removed, but one could not. This happened at a dreadful time, I had planned a 4 day trip for months and had to leave him at the vet while I was gone because he had stopped eating. We were hoping they could get him to eat, but when I returned, he had not and was getting worse. He didn't like staying at the vet, he wanted to come home... I was leaving town so he had to stay there. I was with him when he passed peacefully on Monday afternoon December 12, 2022, the day before my mom died 9 years earlier. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was and will always be heartbroken and will love him and miss him forever.
It was such a shock and heartbreak to lose Salem, so soon after I lost his brother Toby. I just couldn't believe it, he seemed happy and well, especially after I had taken him to the vet a month earlier and they had declared him a perfectly health cat. He had lost a little weight but I thought he had just lost interested in his cat food. I should never have assumed...
My sweet Salem, my precious angel, came into the world in 2012 in Benton, Arkansas. He and his family were slated for euthanasia due to the abundance of kitties in this world so after seeing a plea to save them, I did. I took three of the kittens to foster, Jeanie, Addie and Georgie. Addie and Georgie were adopted quickly, which left Jeanie. I decided to adopt Jeanie and needed a companion for her, so I went to the foster of another brother of hers, a black kitty who looked just like his mother, who she called Wasabi. She said he was "very sweet" and he definitely was, all of his life. He was the favorite of the family due to his sweetness and the way he went along with anything. I named him Salem.
My mom, Emma Jean Burris knew him too, for his first year. He was a little kitten and grew into a beautiful cat the first year of his life. She always said he had the most beautiful golden eyes. He most definitely did. And she helped me weigh him and his sister the first year and helped me track their weight. She wasn't the biggest fan of cats, but she grew to love him and hold him like they were her own. And she called he and his sister "twins". I still miss her too.
I think he may have had a touch of Pica, the OCD of cats, with his extra interest in any crackly paper or packing tape. Even if there was food in it, he always wanted the paper, not the food. Every time I used a lint roller he came running, every time I taped up a package, he came running.
We lived on Shamrock for the first 2 years of his life and he and his sister were kept as indoor only cats, though he always had the hunger to go outside. He escaped a few times but never went far and he always meowed "talked" and I found him and brought him back in. He ran under a bush at the Hendrix house once, so he did feel the grass under his feet at least once. I always felt bad that he was kept inside, but after what happened to my first cat Hershey in 1995, I couldn't let him out.
Salem was such a good boy! He never bit, scratched, hissed, took a swipe at me or anyone, or did anything aggressive. He loved being picked up. I used to pick him up and give him a "tour of the house", taking him in to each room, where he looked around and then we would go to the next one and he would look around again. He loved it. I guess the different perspective he saw the rooms was interesting to him. He was up high and I held him securely in my arms. He got along great in the beginning with Jeanie and when Toby came into my life, they were great snuggle buddies.
He also loved making biscuits on my chest. He would get in my lap, jump up and knead while making holes in my shirts, but I didn't care. His little claws were sharp though! He loved catnip! I have several pictures and videos of him playing with catnip toys. He would hold them in his front legs and kick his back legs on the toy and have so much fun. He loved climbing cat trees and sleeping in the top bunk. I could see his little ears sticking up as I was sitting on the sofa. He knew his name pretty quickly and came every time I called.
Some of the "pet" names I gave him: Salesman (from the Monkees song), Sales, Sweet Angel, Precious Angel, Big Boy.
He lived for 10 years. I always thought he would live well in to his teens but it wasn't meant to be. At 10 years I decided to take him back to the vet and have him checked out, have his blood checked and his shots up to date, which I did, plus have the benign tumor on the back of his head removed. As soon as I had that done, he began to show signs of another illness. Even when I had his blood checked it showed as "normal". A month later he started hiding and I knew that meant he was sick. I took him in and the vet didn't think anything was initially wrong, other than a possible urinary tract infection. Upon more x-rays and tests they discovered malignant cancer in 4 places. I was in total shock. Most could be removed, but one could not. This happened at a dreadful time, I had planned a 4 day trip for months and had to leave him at the vet while I was gone because he had stopped eating. We were hoping they could get him to eat, but when I returned, he had not and was getting worse. He didn't like staying at the vet, he wanted to come home... I was leaving town so he had to stay there. I was with him when he passed peacefully on Monday afternoon December 12, 2022, the day before my mom died 9 years earlier. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was and will always be heartbroken and will love him and miss him forever.
Gravesite Details
Cremated, Ashes given to his Mom, Barbara Lensing, and will be put in with hers when that day comes.
