Sunday, August 21, 2011

Whistle August 28, 2005-August 21, 2011

Whistle, a ginger cat, died today at home. He was born the day before Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His mother went into premature labor and delivered her kittens in an abandoned house in the northern part of Hancock County. Whistle and his litter mate, Fish, were rescued and weaned by a kind woman. In October of 2005, Whistle and Fish went to live with a family who needed them. There, the kittens grew up with a rescue dog, Sister. Later, they were joined by Dubby, a homeless kitten.

Whistle was known for his good humor and loud purring. He was a content cat. He made his dog, Sister, his nanny and loved her. He welcomed Dubby by grooming the kitten and taking long naps curled up with him. He kept a close eye on his brother Fish and they were not separated for even a day until Fish went into the Louisiana Veterinary Hospital for a leg operation. When Fish returned, Whistle groomed all of the hospital smell and homesickness off.

Whistle loved his birthday. For his first five years, he announced his August birthday as early as December to remind his friends and blog readers of the celebration. He received gifts from all over the country.

He enjoyed eating cat cookies. He preferred Greenies Cat Treats until he discovered health food cat cookies. He believed the health food cat cookies meant he could eat several human hand fulls each day. He learned to eat from his human's hand as a kitten then began to stand on his hind legs to grab a cat cookie.

Of the memories Whistle leaves to those who loved him, we recall how when picked up, Whistle leaned against us and purred. He was a big cat of 14 lbs. and his body warmth and attention healed.

His story is told on this blog. His subscriptions to The New Yorker and Ophrah Magazines will be cancelled. His red collar will be placed in a shadow box. His memory is precious to his brothers, his dog and his people.

Whistle is survived by his littermate, Fish, his brother Dubby and his dog Annie, and his humans.

He will be buried on August 22, 2011 near his uncle, the Great Cat Rusty in the kitchen yard close to the birdfeeder.

We thank God for every memory of Whistle the Cat.

18 comments:

Laura Springer said...

Thank you for sharing Whistle's many stories. It has been a pleasure to share his life. I am so sorry for your loss. A few years ago, we lost Augustus, also a ginger kitty. The sadness of such losses runs deep.

Unknown said...

Oh, my gosh. I just can't stand it! What a love he was! Much sympathy, many hugs and copious tears from Aunt Songbird.

Susan O said...

I am so sorry . Peace be with you.

Alison said...

Whistle will be missed by many but he is with us in our hearts... I am so sorry for your lost. Hugs to Fish, Dubby and Annie and their humans.

Violet Beauregarde said...

Oh, Whistle, you will be missed. I know you are where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life and purring everlasting. To your family, Peace and love to you. Thank you for sharing Whistle with us.

Auntie Knickers said...

Oh no. He will be very much missed. Sympathy to Fish, Dubby, Annie and the humans.

1-4 Grace said...

I am so honored to have known Whistle through your stories and his blog.
Peace to you and the entire family.
Hugs

Jules said...

Whistle, if you have crossed the Bridge, say hello to Tanner, the Perfect For Us dog. You remain a fine and noble cat.

zorra said...

I am so sorry! Love to all of Whistle's siblings and humans.
! am confident that there is no cat chasing at Rainbow Bridge, so I hope that after Whistle greets his dear Sister, he will give our love to Zorra and Amie.

Sue said...

God's blessings be upon you Whistle. You epitomized the gentleman cat. When you cross the bridge, please give Ouzo a nudge on the nose to say hello.

Truffle is saddened by the news, and is wondering why my eyes are all leaky.

Blessings and peace to you all.

Deb said...

Hugs to all of you... shared purrs from our kitties. Whistle touched us and reminded us that a little kindness in this world goes a long, long way. Hugs all around.

Deb said...

Dear Fish and Dobby,
We are sorry about Whistle. We are sending purrs and loves. Giver of Greenies sez there's lots of cat cookies in cat heaven. So we know Whistle will be OK.
Purrs and a tail twitch to your hoomans. We're really sorry.
Henry and Tiria

Di said...

I'm so, so sorry. I just knew him here, but I loved Whistle from afar. Hoping Fish is bearing up, and that the rest of you are, too. Got to go find my hankie now, this is just terrible news.

Mary Beth said...

Love and cat cookies from Josie and Boudreaux. We are sad today.

~Mad said...

I am a lurker.

Perhaps you could use a smile. A friend of a friend's blog.

My sympathies to all who knew Whistle. I will give extra hugs to my menagerie of 3 kitties: Mr Mitchell (17+), Snoopie & Tess2 and Bagel the Beagle.

~Mad(elyn) in Alabama

RevAnne said...

So sorry to read this; it's been a while since I checked in. I will miss reading Whistle's posts, but I also know that his cat and human families will miss him tremendously.

Jan said...

Little Sweet Pea down here in Australia has just read this and is also very sad. She sends lots of kind thoughts to Dubby and Fish and all else who are sad.

Rev SS said...

So sad ... I too loved Whistle. Hugs to Fish, Dubby and Annie, and their hoomans ... (I'm hoping Whistle and Samantha (8/97 - 3/11) have met up and are happily chasing light reflections and playing with butterflies :)