I have no explanation for why some things work out the way they do. I am a scientist, a person who thrives on cold, hard data and facts. But, there are some things that cannot be explained by data and facts. As readers of these posts know, I love cats, a lot. I have had many cats and dogs in my life, as has David, but there was one cat who, soon after we met, became our darling and the center of our world in ways no other cat could match. His name was Gizmo and he was a beautiful seal point Siamese. He talked constantly, expressing his opinion (in Siamese, of course!) on every subject. Sadly, Gizmo succumbed to an inoperable tumor and had to be euthanized, quickly and unexpectedly, on April 2, 2016. David and I were in a state of shock, as well as extreme devastation, because of the sudden way in which Gizmo became ill and the quick decision that had to be made to end his life. We were far from prepared for this eventuality. Strangely, however, my dear friend of 52 years, Roger, and his wife, Janine, had months before planned a visit to David’s and my home. This visit was much anticipated, as we had not spent time with each other for many years. The date they selected for their arrival to our home was April 2, 2016; their arrival occurred mere minutes after Gizmo’s passing. David and I both agree there would be no one, not to mention no two people, who could have arrived at that time who would have done more to cheer us than Roger and Janine. Undoubtedly, in our opinion, had our precious Gizmo been euthanized on any other day of the year, we would have been unable to function. But, with our dear friends’ help, we survived one of the worst times in our life. Thank you, Roger and Janine, for saving the day! R.I.P. Gizmo.
As of this writing, just a few weeks after Gizmo’s untimely death, Melissa and I are still very sad. We adopted him, after getting his full approval, from the Humane Society, under very unusual circumstances. We saw his photo in the newspaper as “cat of the week” and were drawn to him. We were not, at the time, looking for a cat. Despite the next day being a work day, with a new employee starting a job at our company, we went to the Humane Society as early as possible that day to meet him. It turned out that this was his 2nd time at the Humane Society having been adopted from there as a kitten. Sadly, his owner, who gave him a name we would never have chosen (Melissa says his name should have been Prince), had, during the economic downturn of recent years, been unable to keep him after losing her job. We were introduced to him in a small room after seeing him through a window. We had previously had a Siamese cat and we were very fond of him. Gizmo proved to have a similar, sweet, sociable disposition. In that visiting room he literally walked all over us and the staff could see the connection. We later realized that while the staff was fond of him, his time was limited at the Humane Society due to his age. We thought he was great and took him home to begin a too short 5+ year life with him. He turned out to be the cat Melissa always wanted – one that would allow her (or me) to pick him up and carry him around like a baby. When we got both Gizmo and his predecessor Siamese, we were told they often lived long lives, 20+ years. Sadly, both of these Siamese Cats, Sammo and Gizmo, died from similar tumors that we now know are all too common. Gizmo’s decline seemed sudden, but in hindsight, perhaps took place over several months. But, we were far from ready to live without him and the morning of April 2 was one of the saddest mornings ever. The decision was easy to make, even as it was hard to make. His condition was not survivable. But, that does not change the realities that we needed a strong distraction and, coincidentally (?) it turned out our distraction was enroute. Roger and Janine never got to meet Gizmo, but they were there for us when we needed them. What timing!
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