Sunday Strumday #4 - As My Little Man Sleeps (An unfinished original)

I’ve not had a very good year… long read to follow or
Tl;dr: my neighbor ran over my cat in front of me speeding off, and I have the biggest sad I’ve ever felt.
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So Friday, I made it home just in time to watch my neighbor run over my cat, Dante. Got him with both the front and back tires. Didn’t stop. Didn’t even kinda slow. Right in front of me. Thanks, guy…

Dante has been an irreplaceable companion for me for 14 years. He was old but healthy. He had many years left in him. I wanted/needed those years.

I never had a cat as a pet in my adult life until Dante and his brother, Winston. I had dogs, ferrets, fish, hedgehogs, etc. Until one day , I was introduced to a breed called “munchkin”. Dwarf cats. Tiny legs; normal everything else. The novelty (and overall cuteness) appealed to me, so I looked into them.

I spoke with a breeder in Louisiana who had some sable Siamese munchkins that were what I was looking for. I saw one that despite being Siamese, had stripes along his body as well along with little tufts at the ends of his ears. He had a serious face and tiny legs . He was the one:) The owner gave me an unbelievable deal to get both he and his brother (Winston) to avoid splitting them apart. I accept and in October 2009, I picked up the two at the Sky Harbor airport in phoenix.

I’ve never had kids. I’ve always wanted to have my own kids and be a dad, but life never went that direction. I have my issues that make it hard for me to trust people or get out and meet people. I also have my mother living with me and spent several years of my life helping raise my cousins. So, I accepted my fate that I would probably never have my own children despite it being one of if not my only dream.

I fell in love with these little boys quickly. And Dante was my favorite… I would call him “my little man”; a nickname my father called me as a child. For a cat, he was smart. He could learn tricks and was quick to catch on to new situations. I even liked to joke he could speak as after a few years, his little rolling R meow turned in a fairly clear “maaaannn” when he’d call me. It reminded me of Oy the Billy bumbler from the Dark Tower who could only utter short sounds.

He waited for me on my car before I left to work, and he greeted me when I came home. If I was gone for an extended period, he would be lost until I came home. He was a big part of nearly everyday of my life, and I’d spend an hour or so every day of my weekend with him happily dreaming on my chest while we sway in the hammock.

He was my little niece and newphew’s favorite cat. They would fight over who got to sleep next to him and would use his stout, little body as a pillow. While they were actively terrified of most animals, they loved this sweet little man.

One of my favorite early memories of Dante was on the third day in my home. He was on the back of my couch. About three feet away was the kitchen island. It was clear he was sizing up the jump. In all fairness, it would be an easy jump for any cat; even a kitten. He pushed with all his strength, extended his might flippers out, arched his back, and missed by nearly two feet. He didn’t know he was a dwarf yet. His brain said cat, so he tried to cat but couldn’t. He learned. He was smart. He started life at a disadvantage.

I can go forever on my life with my little man, but 11 paragraphs is quite enough. I’ve lost family, I’ve lost friends, I’ve lost loved ones, and many of my brothers in the military. I have NEVER felt sadder for a loss than of losing my boy.

Farewell, Dante. Daddy loves you, my little man.

“The world has turned and left me here. Right where I was before you appeared, and in you place, an empty space has filled the void behind my face.”