Out of habit, we often take a 'head count' to see who all is in the room with us, cat-wise. Allen and I had been sitting in the living room watching Jordan pull up to the house. As we sat talking, Jordan was doing a mental 'head count'. He asked who was under the coffee table because you could only see little black feet and the tip of a tail. We could eliminate Memphis because there were no white rings on the tail tip, but Ouiji and Bistat remained.
The next thing I heard was Allen saying, "this cat is dead, Renee." I couldn't believe my ears, There was no way that could be true. He moved the coffee table so I could see for myself. There he lay, still and silent. It was immediately apparent that he had passed. Although he is an adult, I sent Jordan out of the room while I checked anyway. It appeared he had merely laid down to rest and never woke up.
Bistat was Jordan's buddy, and vice versa. You rarely saw one without the other. You could see the idolization in Bistat's eyes when Jordan was around. And Jordan often said that Bistat was THE cat! I finally called Jordan back in and verified what he already knew. I wrapped Bistat in a blanket and held him for a while.
The following day, as we gathered around and said a few words, Bistat was laid to rest in the memory garden next to Chessie.
Bistat was a very peculiar little fella. He first came to my attention as I sat in the cat room at the local humane society. As I filled out the paperwork to adopt Andy, Bistat was my best buddy. He was in my lap, leaning on me, purring to me, just anything that would get my attention. It worked. Before leaving with Andy, I inquired about Bistat, finding out he'd been there a while as well. I couldn't get the little guy off of my mind the next couple of days. I told Jordan about him and he began to worry as well. He and I left on a two week trip to Canada and the east coast just about that time, but the concern followed us where ever we went.
When we returned, we learned Allen wasn't checking on him as we'd expected. I made a hurried phone call to the Humane Society, fearing the worst. Fortunately, he was still safe, but only for a short time longer. I explained that the next day we'd be driving to Lexington to pack Jordan's apartment furnishings and bring them back for storage in Indiana while he went to Seattle for a while. However, I stated I would be in the following day to pick up Bistat.
The next day I received a tearful phone call from the adoption rep at the humane society. Were we coming to get Bisat? They were taking him down to be euthanized as we spoke. I reminded her we were out of town, but if they would hold up just 24 hours, we'd be there when they opened the next morning to pick him up. They agreed.
Bright and early the next morning, we were on their doorstep with carrier in hand. Jordan adopted him. He had planned to take Bistat with him when he returned to Lexington in a few months.
Well, as they say, 'The best laid plans of mice and men....'. Jordan actually ended up moving into the house with a friend so Bistat stayed at Baer House. He was a welcome addition, when we could see him that is. Nearly his entire first year was spent hiding in my closet. We knew just where to find him anytime we wanted to love on him. He eventually began to come down at mealtime in order to give us sad pouty eyes so he could have whatever was on the menu for the night instead of just cat food. But then it was back to the closet.
Only when Jordan returned from Lexington did Bistat come out regularly. Bistat was thrilled when Jordan moved back to Indiana permanently. He never went into the closet again. From that point on, where Jordan was, Bistat was sure to be found.
While Bistat is missed by all of course, the loss of his little friend has effected Jordan the most. The first few nights, when Bistat's spot next to him remained cold and empty, were the hardest. Jordan was accustomed to the big guy piling up in bed with him. It seems the other cats understood Jordan's distress. For several days, they were especially attentive to him.
The house and the other cats seem very different with Rondo and Bistat gone. I haven't given up hope of Rondo's return, but each passing day makes his absence more noticeable. I still imagine that one day I'll open the front door to find him waiting to come back inside. Only time will tell.
Hopefully there will be no sad reports in the near future. But life is what it is, good and bad.
RIP BISTAT 7-31-2010
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