In spring of 2001 we were living in the Garrison St. house but looking for a place to buy. I was also looking for a tuxedo kitten, as it had been years since I'd had a cat and I am fond of that color pattern. We had Chewie but wanted another. Around then our friend Wes met a neighbor who was taking a momma cat and her three kittens to the pound - he intercepted. One of those kitten eventually came to us and was named Tuck.
He was barely 7 weeks old when he came to live with us. Such a tiny little ball of fluff. he immediately fixated on Chewie and followed her everywhere - much to her annoyance. Over the years she got over it and they could often be found curling up together napping. Tuck loved to be in the garden following me around, and he loved to find a box to stuff himself into. He eventually grew into a very large tomcat, topping out at 17 pounds, with the most beautiful long coat, golden eyes and he had amazing whiskers. Everyone commented on them.
On Tuesday July 28th we had a major heatwave moving thru and the temps hit 102 degrees that day, and 90 inside the house. The cats were just melted puddles of fur splashed about the floor. Finally the sun started to set and the temp started to drop. We let the cats out to cool off and get some relief. I tried calling them back in before bedtime but only Chewie answered. Not unusual considering how late they had gotten out. One or another had spent the night out before so I didn't think anything of it.
The next morning only Peter was waiting at the door to get on. I called and called for Tuck and Gracie but they did not answer. I was a bit worried as Booboo (Tuck's main nickname) was always ready for his food bowl after a night out. I had to get to work so I couldn't spend much time looking. Gracie showed up around noon that day but still no Boo. The heat was stifling again and it wasn't until late that evening that I could make the rounds to see if he was stuck in a tree somewhere - it had happened before, but no luck.
We did all the usual things in putting up fliers, letting the neighbors know to keep an eye out and checking with all the local rescue societies and vet offices. Thru this we learned several local pets had gone missing, the deer herds were thinned out, and the coyotes had not been seen in the area so we suspect a cougar is around. There's been no sign of Tuck since.
I'm just heartbroken over the loss of my baby. He usually curled up next to me at night and always woke me up in the morning.
Tuck, you were the best kitty I ever had. I'll always miss you.
