Morgan Luis "Boog Boog" Tribute added #24

[krazyaboutkatz]

Moesha, I'm so sorry to hear about Morgan's passing. I'm glad that you were able to have some good quality time with each other before his passing. I do believe in Rainbow Bridge and that we'll all be reunited with our animals some day. He sure was a very handsome boy. RIP Morgan Luis. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[cassiesmom]

Moesha, I am so sorry to learn this news. ((((HUGS))))

[slick]

I'm so very sorry to hear of Morgan's passing, Moe. {{{hugs}}}
RIP sweet Morgan.

[jennielynn1970]

Oh Moe, I'm so sorry to be reading this so late. I was wondering today how dear Morgan was doing, and I found this thread. I'm so sorry.

Run free at the Bridge, Morgan, and have no more pain.

(((((HUGS))))))) to you Moe.

[kb2yjx]

Such a handsome fellow...Sleep softly, dear Morgan.....Hugs to you and take care...

[3Catcondo]

Moe,
I'm so sorry for your loss. Morgan was a handsome kitty. I'm sure he's footloose and free at the bridge. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Amy and kitties

[jenluckenbach]

I am terribly sorry for your loss. RIP Morgan.

[Anikaca77]

Mo-

I'm so sorry to hear about Morgan.

My prays are with you and the rest of your family. Rest in peace dear sweet Morgan.

Melissa

[Moesha]

Morgan came home today. Granted it is in a little pine box, but he is home. Actually at the moment, he is sitting next to me on the couch as I type. I didn't even realize this at first. I just looked down and there was the box. I'm still not sure what exactly what I want to do with his cremains, but I definitely am going to have Glacier do a memorial bead or two. I almost made it through the day yesterday without tears. But I got a phone call from a friend giving me condolences. So, I started over today, thinking that it might be the day without tears. But then I got the call that Morgan had been delivered to the vet's office. I was still going to try, but when I got there and they gave me the black and white gift bag with the paw prints all over it, I knew it wasn't going to happen. They even included a nice certificate with the date of the cremation. I've stayed busy and haven't really let myself grieve completely. Tonight I'm home and am going to try to write his tribute. I also need to write a few thank you cards. My aunt and uncle sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. I need to post a picture here, but they are on the camera and I know that there are the last pictures that I took of Morgan on there as well. I need to just make myself do it.

Anyway...here's Morgan's story.

My family had just moved to a new home. We'd lived in our previous home for 24 years, with a year in a rental home in between. We couldn't have pets at the rental house. My dad had told me that when we got to the new house that I could have as many pets as I wanted, as long as they stayed outside. I decided I would get a cat and even picked out the name Morgan for it from Garth Brooks' song "Two Pina Coladas".

A friend of mine had a cat that had kittens. He was also having an addition built onto his house. Another mutual friend was doing that. One day I was with the carpenter's wife. We stopped in for her to talk to her husband. The husband brought this little gray kitten with the most amazing green eyes over to the car. He was already twice the size of his siblings. He couldn't have been much more than 3 weeks old. I held him and that was that. Those eyes had me. I'd never had a cat before. If I didn't take him, the carpenter was going to bring him to his house. I'd told my friend that I'd take the kitten. I didn't really think much more about it, but the day the kittens turned 6 weeks old, the friend drove him to my house and gave him to me. I didn't have the first thing ready for a cat. I didn't know what a cat would need. I was having serious "buyer's remorse". We had company for dinner that evening, and I kept trying to get them to take the kitten home with them. My mom would not let him leave. I took him outside and put him on the ground. Within a minute he was in a dog's mouth. I grabbed the dog and yelled for help. Out came my sister and she grabbed the kitten. Morgan spent the night in a cardboard box in my bedroom. He stayed in there for 3 weeks, not always in the box but in the bedroom. Then I took him to get his shots. He had an allergic reaction to them. He was rushed back to the vet's office with a high fever. The recommendation was to keep him inside and not get him vaccinated or at the very least use Benadryl prior to his shots in the future. That's how Morgan came to stay in the house permanently.

Morgan was such a wonderful boy. He loved me, and I loved him so very much. We had a definite connection. Morgan loved my sister and my mom also, but he really was my cat. He had his routine for everyone to cater to his needs. My mom got him his spoonful of wet food in the mornings. He had my sister carry him around. She would make him give her a kiss before picking him up though. Because he was so wonderful, there are now 8 other kitties living here. Most of them have just showed up outside, with the exception of Aroara. Over the years several others have been here. I've found homes for some and have lost a couple dear ones over the years as well. One of them was Simone. I found her at the end of our road one day. She was another solid gray cat. She and Morgan were good buddies. Simone wouldn't tolerate any other cat, but she loved Morgan. Morgan loved her as well. I really think that it was his grief when we lost her to congestive heart failure, that caused his diabetes. Together we battled that and got it regulated with diet. One of the girls at the vet's office told me that she had heard of that happening but had never seen it before Morgan's case. He was such a laid back cat but was definitely king of his castle. He knew everything that happened in his house, no matter where he was. He knew when I was supposed to be home. If I wasn't home on time, he would sit and watch out the window for me. He would be waiting inside the door for me. He'd sit with me while I was on the laptop. He would lay on top of my hands. I could only use my fingers under his big 18 pound body. He taught me so much and as a result of his extraordinary nature, many other kitties have had a better life. His memory will continue in my heart and mind. And other kitties will continue to have a better life because of him. He taught me so much about kitties and about life. I've really grown as a person because of having him in my life for 11 years.

I also said that I would give an explanation about his names. For some reason years ago I started calling him Morgan Louise. My mom hated that I did that. Enough people felt the Morgan was a girl's name that he didn't need another one. I still called him that though. Finally I compromised and changed it to Luis. It was a male name that sounded the same. And when he was a kitten he used to hide behind furniture and jump out and grab us. I've come to learn that many kittens do that. But remember Morgan was my first. We used to call him the Boogie Man. That morphed to Boog, Boog Boog and Boogles.

A couple of my favorite memories from his kittenhood were that I used to put him in "time out". He would get wild and attack my hands. So I put would shut him in the laundry room. He hated that. He would stand facing the washer and scream. It would make more noise bouncing off of the metal from the machine and echo very loudly until we came and got him out. He would be much calmer after that though. I have a hard time remembering him as a terror kitten. He turned out to be so calm and regal as an adult. Another favorite memory involved bathtime. Most of my family, including myself, are allergic to cats. So he used to get baths regularly. He had a collar that I would take off for bathtime. One day I found the collar in the toilet. He didn't have to wear the collar again. Eventually, I stopped the baths too. He got too big for me to handle in the tub. I would take him a couple of times a year to the groomers for a bath though.

I could go on and on with other stories, but I won't bore you any longer. In fact, if you have read this far, I thank you very much. I'll just post a few pictures with some captions.

Our usual spot together


Sneaking food any chance he could get.


One of the last ones I took of him. This was after his surgery to have the tumor removed. He never looked sick. And for that I am very thankful. He never liked having his picture taken, and I'd just woken him with the camera. But he still humored me. Using the flash always washed the green out of his eyes.


Sleep Peacefully


Memorial Flowers

[Medusa]

Aw, Mo, such a beautiful story about a beautiful boy. I'm sorry that you're still so sad but it does get easier, really it does. Time takes the sting out of it all but that doesn't mean that you'll ever stop missing him. You'll just be able to get through the day w/out being so sad. Soon you'll find yourself smiling instead of crying when you think of him. Your memories will be a comfort to you. Until that time comes, your PT family is here. (((HUGS)))

[Taz_Zoee]

That was a beautiful tribute. I really feel like I personally knew Morgan. And those pictures are wonderful.
As Mary said, it does get easier. I do still get tears when I think of Taz, or read a memorial thread for another loved kitty that has joined him at the bridge. But then I only think of the good times, and of course there were many. And that brings a smile through the tears. Hold on to those memories and smile.

[pomtzu]

Moe - that was indeed a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing a bit of Morgan's life with us.

I love the "Sleep Peacefully" pic of him. How very appropriate.

[krazyaboutkatz]

What a wonderful tribute. Now I have LES. You had a very special bond with him and this is probably why you'll have a much harder time with the grieving process. He sure was a very handsome blue boy. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Pinot's Mom]

Wonderful tribute to a beautiful boy. Peace.

[Moesha]

I just wanted to post pictures of some of the items I received from Pet Talk members to help me remember Morgan fondly.

Wolf_Q painted an acrylic portrait of Morgan from one of the photos that I had. It is beyond beautiful. I tried to frame it this weekend. I bought the frame, but once I got it home, I found out that it was broken. Then I decided, after seeing the frame with the picture, that I didn't like it for the portrait after all. So the search continues. I highly recommend using her for any animal portraits that you may want done. It's amazing in person. I'll also add a copy of the original photograph. I'm not sure if I've posted it here before or not.





I also sent Glacier some of Morgan's ashes and had them added to a pendant and a plain bead that she made for me. They are also very nice. Here is the picture she sent me of them.



Here is one of me wearing the pendant.



I miss my baby so much still. Even though I have other kitties around, none love me like Morgan did. And I don't have the same bond with any of them either. I feel sort of empty. I wish that feeling would go away.