There Was a Cat Named Buster

Good Morning DearHearts,

One spring morning in 2009 when I looked across my neighbor’s yard I saw a face looking back at me. What a face it was! The face belonged to a kitten. My first thought was where was the kitten’s mother? My next thought was I must catch him so he doesn’t have to live on the streets. How?

As it turned out his mother was an abandoned cat that had been frequenting my backyard because I would feed her. I never realized she had given birth because she hadn’t brought her kittens around for food.   When I inquired around the neighborhood I found out a neighbor had caught the kittens and took them to a shelter, they missed one.

I do not remember exactly what magic happened or how but the kitten was caught and began his residence on my screened in patio.

He had an adorable and handsome face that reminded me of clown. I decided to call him Buster after the early cinema legend Buster Keaton.

Buster, being feral, was not entirely happy about his new residence although he did seem to appreciate the easy availability of meals.  I “furnished” the patio with everything a cat might want or need. I turned one of the swivel patio chairs into a tent so he could hide away while sleeping and stay warm for the cool nights. There was a cat tree so he could climb and play. Of course there was a litter box, water dish and toys.  What more could a kitty want?

He did find one other thing to occupy himself I hadn’t considered.  He found the one hanging plant and decided it would make a fabulous swing.  I went out to the patio one morning and could not find him, I looked everywhere. The door was closed and there were no holes in the screen.  Then I looked up. Somehow Buster found his way into the planter and was swinging back and forth.  I still do not know how he managed to get up or down. Every morning I would go out to the patio to deliver his breakfast, change his water and clean the litter box.  Every morning I would I announce my presence by yelling, “room service”.  Every morning he would watch me but not approach. This went on for many months.  One morning as I bent to clean out the litter box he came over and rubbed up against my leg.  My first thought was, “we are home.”

He found out he actually loved being petted and scratched. He had the softest fur and there was a great deal of it.  He was the prodigy of two abandoned cats that had never been neutered. His mother was Mary and his father I had named Charlie.  Charlie had been abused and then abandoned; he was left with a stub of a tail and had the battle scars to indicate his life on the streets had been difficult.  Mary had most definitely been someone’s pet at one time.  She was a beautiful tuxedo cat that found her way to my backyard when I suspect her owners moved without her.  Mary and Charlie always found a meal in my backyard and on one particularly cold night had warm beds in my garage.

Now Buster was able to be transported to the vet clinic for his vaccinations and neutering. Fortunately he tested negative for feline diseases so it was time to introduce him to my two other feline residents. Trixie and Isabella had been unable to enjoy the back patio until I knew it was safe for them to be together.

As it turned out Trixie was not a fan and Isabella was unsure.  The three of them never bonded so I was Buster’s main source of affection.  Isabella would sometimes play with him but they never groomed each other. I was always a little sad for him.

Buster was a large boy.  In his prime he weighed in around 16 pounds and was over two feet long. His tail was massive. It was long and thick, truly looked like it belonged on a raccoon more than a cat. It was luxurious.

For sixteen years I was blessed to be his person.  He did not have to struggle for survival in the outdoors, he had become a true lap cat. His only traumas were being put in a carrier to go to the vet or when I moved from my house to a condo.  The move was so difficult for him I promised him he would never have to move again.  This home would be his until he crossed the rainbow bridge.  I kept my promise.

One morning in October right after I got out of bed Buster had a seizure.  It was horrible to watch and completely unexpected.  At first he couldn’t walk. I scooped him up and started to give him reiki. He didn’t want to stay still and tried to get off the couch.  He stumbled but kept trying to use his back legs.  After about 30 minutes he regained the use of his legs. 

I called the vet as soon as they opened.

It was a difficult morning. While he was in the carrier he urinated and was wet and scared.  The vet assistant was an angel, she helped to clean him up and also the carrier.  The vet said he obviously had some kind of a neurological event, but since he had recovered it was hard to diagnose.  He had lost quite a bit of weight but overall seemed okay.

I started giving him extra food to try to get him to gain some weight.  Everything seemed to going relatively well.  He was spending more time on the patio and had become VERY vocal. In hindsight I wonder if he was in pain, I guess I’ll never really know.

I was away at my son’s for Thanksgiving, when I returned he seemed “off” he wasn’t eating much and perhaps he had another seizure while no one was in the house. My friend had been taking care of the kitties but wasn’t here every moment.

Within a couple of days he was having difficulty walking and suddenly went blind.

The downside of being a pet parent are the moments when we realize it’s time to say goodbye to our fur children. Whether it’s expected or sudden the grief will still arrive. 

There WAS a wonderful cat named Buster who graced my life for sixteen years. How very blessed I am to have found him in my neighbor’s backyard.

I wrote this in December, not knowing that in 3 months my last kitty, Trixie would also cross that Rainbow Bridge. 

The house is very quiet now but since there is no true death I am looking forward to some nighttime visits that confirm neither life nor love ever truly end.

“You think that death is of the body. Yet it is but an idea, irrelevant to what is seen as physical.”[1]

All dear ones still live within my mind and heart, they are definitely eternal.

I’ve started a new venture-a podcast, because everyone has one – LOL. This one is called I am practically spiritual and is available on Apple and Spotify.

In Love, Light & Peace,

Janet Weissman

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[1] ACIM Workbook Lesson 167 3:1-2