Jack

Okay so this post has taken me 7 weeks to write. This is my goodbye Jack post.

Jack was a cat that was purchased for me by Greg as a "replacement cat" when my childhood cat Stewart died. Let me explain the Stewart story. Stewart was a long hair black cat brought home from college by Jill. Then he stayed. He became the beloved family pet...well loved by most...not by mom. While in college I came home and noticed that Stew was not wondering around the house. Supposedly Stewart was looking sick and went on vacation. Period. Vacation means going to the same place that all my other childhood pets went...Millie my cow, all the dogs such as Sam I, Sam II, Sam III, 2 Scoops, Sadie I, Sadie II, Sadie III, Sonny, Gatson, and cat Whitney (as in Houston...not sure why we were into naming our pets after celebrities). SO for Stewart to leave unexpectedly was devastating for me.

Greg decides to be a heroic boyfriend and drives to Walnut Ridge AR to purchase me a new cat. According to him that was where the ad in the paper took him. They bonded on the way home as this replacement kitty used the restroom in his car. So Valentines Day was when I received him...well or her. For the first month we believed Jack was an Izzy. Ooops. Not the first time this has occurred....Stewart's original name was Martha. When the vet explained we had a male kitten on our hands we decided on Jack after Jack Buck who died that year.

Jack was a clingy little kitten those first few months only sleeping on my chest and following me around my apartment. Jack had the loudest kitten meow known to man. His hair changed colors that first year from black to red to gray then back to black. We are pretty sure he weighed 20 pounds. He shed like crazy and loved sitting on my balcony. He even liked to run away and go to the neighbor's balcony. Jack was also into biting people and clawing up anything he could touch. This resulted in declawing. Yes I was ruthless but there was a lot of pain for us those first few months. Jack also enjoyed fetching and could not stand for a drink to sit on a table and would knock them off, resulting in stains. He liked to sit in the window and growl at innocent animals in the yard. Jack also liked to hide and attack people as they walked by. He was ban from the Jonesboro Vet Clinic Grooming Parlor for being uncooperative. Are you getting my point about this cat?

Jack lived in numeours places...Jonesboro, Russelville (when greg worked at ANO), Bloomfield (when I lived at home b/f the wedding), Little Rock, and back to Bloomfield. He had numerous friends and family. Including his brother Nolan which we are pretty sure he despised.

No, Jack isn't dead. He's just on a really nice vacation at the farm. You see when we knew we were pregnant I knew he had to go. Jack wasn't the most pleasant creature. Before John Parker was born we would catch Jack lounging in all the baby furniture. The day we brought John Parker home and I was holding him on my lap Jack jumped on my lap and had that look of attack in his eyes and I knew for sure at that point that he had to go. The only person he liked was Greg. He still slept on me but he only liked Greg.

One day I was reading the paper at school and noticed an ad for a free cat to good home with Greg's cell number. I thought getting "rid" of Jack was not really going to happen until I read the ad. Then I knew I had to take action into my own hands. I immediately sent an email around school for a "free cat to good home" with all the highlights about Jack. No takers but lots of sympathy from my co-workers. Finally (and with God's timing) the day I had John Parker we got a call from a co-worker telling me that her sister would take him. So we set up the timing and decided on a Friday she could pick him up. By Saturday morning Greg was picking him back up because he "did not work well with others" and had to go. So he is at the farm living the life of a barn cat. I'll be honest. I hope he is there. I don't want to see him. I don't want to know what really happened when Greg left to get him back. If I know the true story I will go out searching for him.

I know it's the best thing for all involved. Especially my child. Often I think about how I would never trust Jack to be alone in the house while JP is sleeping or playing on the floor. I could not see Jack being "friendly" to JP since he was never friendly to us. So this is my goodbye Jack post and for all my family and friends that couldn't get along well with Jack...you wish has come true! I'll miss you little guy and thanks for 7 great years of memories;)

Right before he left for his new home....