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In memoriam: Our Buddy Skippy (1999-2007)    

As many of our wonderful Pat Brody friends know, my wife, Lisa, and I currently have 13 cats (9 are Pat Brody alumnae). Though Lisa has always been a cat lover, there was a time when I disliked cats. As someone who grew up exclusively with dogs, I used to think  that cats were selfish, unfriendly and did not possess any "dog-like" characteristics. I used to think - foolishly - that you could never be buddies with a cat. While my opinion of cats began to change with the first cat Lisa brought into our home (her family cat Solo), my opinion of cats changed forever the day Lisa and I adopted Skippy.

As many of you may recall from his time at the shelter, Skippy was quite friendly and playful, but, unfortunately, he was returned due to his medical condition (Skippy suffered from an awful gum disease known as stomatitis). Though Skippy was a happy-go-lucky cat, shelter life is difficult for all cats, and he eventually became a bit depressed and discouraged. Lisa and I could no longer bear to look at his sad, soulful yellow eyes, and we decided to adopt him one spring day in 2005.

The minute Skippy arrived at our house, his spirit and personality were rejuvenated. He once again was that playful cat we first met, running around the house and entertaining himself with his many cat toys (Skippy loved to catch the play-mice and would announce to everyone when he caught one). Skippy, as it turned out, also loved to take walks around the yard with Lisa and me (on a cat leash) and loved car rides. I would frequently take him in the car with me when I would do errands,  where he would sit on my lap and, on too many occasions, criticize my driving. When I would return to the car after doing the errand, Skippy was behind the steering wheel, ready to drive us home.

While my memories of Skippy are countless, perhaps my favorite is the greetings Lisa and I would get from him when we returned home. The minute we opened the door, Skippy would come running to greet us, smiling away with his shining gums (all of Skippy's teeth were removed and he was known around the house as "Gummy"). Not only would he give a friendly greeting, but Skippy would follow us around the house and skip/jump as he walked by our sides in effort to prod us to pet him. At night, Skippy would sleep on a pillow in back of my head, and I would fall asleep to the sound of Skippy's charming purr. In the morning, my first sight when I opened my eyes was Skippy hovering over me, and once he saw my eyes open a crack, he would poke me gently with his paw until I was awake.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Skippy was his spirit. Even though he was a slight cat (Skippy weighed only around 6-7 pounds), he was no push-over. If another cat dared to take Skippy's spot on the bed or elsewhere, Skippy went into full attack mode and "gummed" the intruding cat until he reclaimed his territory. In Skippy's defense, he was frequently on steroids and may have suffered from "roid rage", which earned Skippy the nickname "Giambi" (Lisa and I were relieved when Skippy was not mentioned in the recently released Mitchell Report).

In addition, during the last few months of his life, Skippy became very sick from a cancerous tumor in his mouth that spread to his eye. Upon our return from vacation in late August, the vet suggested that we put him down immediately. But Skippy refused to go without a fight and with Lisa's amazing dedication (an assortment of remedies, painkillers, prednisone and daily feedings through a syringe), Skippy was able to live, purr and smile for another 7 weeks until the tumor spread.

Once the tumor spread Skippy became blind and began having neurological problems.  We knew at this time that it was time to say goodbye.

Lisa and I miss our buddy Skippy. We miss seeing him in his favorite spots and playing energetically with his toys. We miss him being by our side when we walk around the house and his shiny, smiling gums. While the old proverb says that a dog is a man's best friend, I don't think the author of this saying ever knew a cat quite like Skippy. Because if he did, he would certainly appreciate the bond that forms between a person and a cat, a bond that connected Lisa and me to Skippy that we will never forget and will cherish for the rest of our lives.

Noah Rosmarin

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