- Joined
- Mar 3, 2021
- Messages
- 1
- Purraise
- 7
Kevan – My Story
Hi, my name is Kevan. This is the story of my life, at least what I remember of it. I’m a young, very cute male cat. A lot of people have told me that I’m a sweet boy. Because of my markings on my face, mom says I look like Batman. Mom got my name from the movie Up. She really loves that movie and for some reason thought the name Kevan fit. Really mom, you had to name me after a goofy bird and not a superhero? Dad said I should be thankful because she named my brother after a green monster with bolts stinking out of his neck. I guess Kevan isn’t as bad as Fwankenstein. Someone should really talk to them about the way they spell names. My sister Sophie is the lucky one, she has a normal name with a normal spelling. I don’t know when or where I was born but I think it was sometime in 2019. I didn’t start life living with mom and dad. I do remember living with an awful family in Denver next to the Library. To say they didn’t treat me very well is an understatement. They were dirty, filthy people. They ended up getting kicked out of that house. They started packing their stuff and the next thing I knew they were gone. They didn’t take me with them, they left me outside to fend for myself. I’m pretty sure they killed some of my brothers and sisters, their bodies were found in a garbage bag in the garage. I’m not sure why I survived. Actually, I’m glad they didn’t take me with them.
I was on my own. I had to find food and a place live. I floated around a little and lived in several different places including a woodshed, a hole in the ground and I even slept in cars. Not actually inside the cars but in the engine compartments and by the exhaust. I was just trying to stay warm and dry. I scavenged food from the neighborhood and was forced to eat some horrible things, including a dead possum. Yeah, I know, it was really disgusting but I had to survive. From time to time, some of the neighbors fed me. The people from the nursing home would occasionally sneak me some leftovers. I was often seen strutting up the nursing home sidewalk in my many attempts to get food. One of the neighbors even tried to catch me in a trap. Fortunately for me, I’m pretty smart and he wasn’t successful. Another angry neighbor kept trying to chase me off, I guess he didn’t like me living in his woodshed. The problem was I didn’t have any place else to go.
My persistence eventually paid off. That angry guy and his wife started to feed me on a regular basis, they even gave me fresh water and kitty treats. I used to sit on their porch and look in the patio door. I like to watch the cats that lived inside. I think I was a little jealous of them because it looked like they had a much better life than mine. When the angry man and his wife set out my food, they tried to pet me. At first, I didn’t like it. But after a while I realized they were pretty cool people and interacting with them actually felt pretty good.
One day they set out a small box with an old t-shirt in the bottom. I immediately made that box my new home, it was better than the hole in the ground. That angry guy was actually starting to be nice to me. I started to follow the angry guy’s wife around the yard as she worked, she seemed to be a very awesome person. Then we had a little set back. The angry guy had put some old stairs next to where they were feeding me. Apparently, the angry guy didn’t listen to his wife when she told him to move the stairs, so she decided to move them herself. Well, they fell over while she was moving them, and they nearly hit me. I was freaked out! I decided to step back and re-evaluated the situation, I stop coming around for a while.
I would keep an eye on the angry man and his wife. The angry guy moved the stairs, I guess he finally listened to his wife. I really think she’s the smart one. They kept put out food for me and tried to get me to come back. They were really trying to go out of their way to be nice to me. Really nice because soon after the stair drop incident, the angry guy upgraded my box to a bigger one. It was insulated with Styrofoam and had straw bedding on the floor. It looked like it could really keep me warm. He even tucked it up next to the house to keep it out of the wind. I decided to give it another try and moved into my new box. If you haven’t guessed it by now, the angry guy and his wife are actually the people I would eventually call mom and dad.
Life was finally getting a better but that changed quickly. Another cat showed up. I think dad said his name was Feral or maybe it was Tom. He was a huge cat, so much bigger than me. Feral wasn’t nice, he was actually very mean! He started eating my food and chasing me away from my new home. We got in a fight and unfortunately, I lost. I was scared. What’s worse is that Feral bit me as I was trying to make an escape during our fight. It was a big nasty bite and I lost a lot of fur. After the fight, I went back to living in my hole in the ground. Dad eventually caught Feral and found him a new home. At least he was gone and I didn’t have to worry about him anymore. But I was still scared and now scarred. Dad looked everywhere for me and eventually found my hole and he started leaving food at the opening. Eventually, I started coming back to my box by the house.
Mom and dad would spend a lot of time in their shop. They would try to get me to come in. They would keep it toasty warm in there and they would try to lure me in with food. They even got the canned stuff that I really like. At first, I wasn’t sure about being in the shop, I was still a little jumpy, I definitely had some trust issues. I eventually started coming in to eat. I would look over my shoulder as I ate and kept a very close eye on the door. I would leave right after the food was gone. This went on for a while and then, slowly, I started to hang out a little while after I was done eating.
Mom and dad kept trying to earn my trust and make me feal comfortable in the shop. They even moved things around in an attempt to make me feel at ease. I didn’t like being out in the open, I liked my cover. They would set things out so I could hide under them. I found a neat hangout spot on top of an old toolbox. Mom put a blanket on the toolbox for me to lay on, she wanted me to be warm. I started spending a lot time in the shop and with them. Dad even built me a goofy looking contraption so I could come and go so he didn’t have to open the door when I want to come or go.
One night, dad brought his truck in the shop. He had been leaving it out so I would feel more comfortable. For some reason, I thought I should jump up on the muffler. I think my old instincts of sleeping in cars must have taken over for a while. Dad wasn’t very happy with me, not happy at all! He pulled the truck out of the shop with me still on top of the muffler! I don’t think I realized until that moment that I actually found a new home in the shop. I went to the door and dad let me back in. I never tried to go outside again. Dad even built me a new house out of wood. No more hole in the ground or cardboard boxes for this kitty! I loved sitting on the table in front of the big window that faced to the west. Dad called it my “window to my old world”. I could see my old house and my old hole in the ground from that window. I knew I was in a much better place. I had a new home.
Dad would come to shop every morning to see me and do what he called “Cat Chores”. He would feed me, get me fresh water and clean my litter box. It was our time together. I would go running to him with my tail in the air every morning when he came in the door. I really loved seeing him and he loved seeing me. I used to so excited to have dad pet me, I would just flop on the ground and purr. Dad even let me scratch the wall by my house. Mom was shocked that dad said it was okay. He said he was going to cover that area up someday, so it wasn’t a big deal. I finally had a new family
Now that I was part of the family, mom and dad said I had to go to the vet to get my vaccinations and to get fixed. The funny thing is, at the time, I didn’t know I was broken. It was at the vet when I found out my brother Fwankenstein is a special kitty. I think he might be a Rockstar, he takes a lot of pills and everyone at the vet clinic knows and loves him. He must also be pretty generous too, dad says that Fwankenstein probably paid for the vet’s kids to go to college. He sounds like a pretty cool dude.
Here’s where my story takes another tragic turn. It was at that visit that I found out I have FIV. If you don’t know, FIV is to cats like AIDS is to humans. Do you remember Feral? The vet thinks he has FIV and gave it to me when he bit me. I also had an infection of some sort because I was running a fever. There was also something wrong with my mouth and to top it off, I had ringworm. They weren’t able to do any procedures that day because of my multiple issues. They gave me a few shots of antibiotics and sent me home. I had a surprise when I got home, dad had built me another new, bigger and better house! It was at that time that I realized that dad is really starting to like me.
Mom and dad were now faced with a lot of tough decisions. FIV on its own isn’t fatal, but it does present a lot of issues. Cats with FIV should be kept inside and have their health monitored very closely. We can catch a kitty cold and because we don’t have much of an immune system, it can turn into a big deal or even be fatal. Mom and dad said they couldn’t bring me into the house because of Fwankenstein. It turns out that he’s not a Rockstar, he’s just a very sick kitty. That explains the pills and why the people at the vet clinic know him so well. It just wasn’t going to work for either of us to live together. Mom and dad also knew the shop was not going to the right environment for me either. They decided to try and find me a new home.
Now we had a plan! It was back to vet for me. Mom and dad wanted to get me ready for a new home. They got me vaccinated, micro chipped, and fixed. While I was at the vet, dad found me a new home and it wasn’t very far way! All we needed to do is to get the ringworm under control. Apparently, it just wasn’t meant to be. The ringworm was taking over my body and I didn’t have an immune system that was strong enough to fight it and the treatments weren’t working. I started scratching my fur off and scratching my skin until it started to bleed.
Once again, mom and dad had a tough decision. They knew I was in pain and my chances of getting better were slim to none. They also knew that while I was fighting it, there could something else that would put me in pain and put my life at risk. I was put to sleep Friday morning, February 26th, 2021. Although my life was short, I made a big impact. Especially on dad. He went from being angry and trying to chase me away to fighting for my life. It’s hard to believe he would sit outside my hole in the ground trying to get me to come out and eat. He rearranged his shop so I would be comfortable, he even built me 4 houses.
I know dad misses me very much. He said I had an amazing spirt and a will to survive. I know everyone wishes things would have turned out different, but it just wasn’t my destiny. Dad is taking my passing very hard, that’s not like him. I think dad was so determined to save me and he feels that he didn’t. Mom tells him that he did because I would have died long ago and I won’t have known the peace and love that I did during the last part of my life. If you haven’t guessed it by now, dad is writing my story. I think it’s his way of coping with my passing.
Rest in Peace Kevan, you are missed.
Those of you who know me are probably shocked I wrote this, I guess I’m shocked myself. What was it about this little kitty that touched me so deeply that I would do something I have never done before, express my emotions in writing? I think it was because of Kevan’s spirt. Kevan was dealt a horrible hand in life but that didn’t stop him. Why did he live, and the other 4 cats found in that garbage bag didn’t? Kevan did whatever he needed to do to survive. He kept moving forward and overcoming obstacles. He persevered no matter what life threw at him, he just kept trying. Kevan had some trust issues but who could blame him. But when he’d finally found the right home, he went all in with his love and affection. He didn’t hold back. He was so sweet. Not only did he survive, he thrived. The only thing that stopped him was an illness that no one could control.
I’m not sure if I will ever share this story or not. So, if you’re not me and you’re reading this, I guess I did. Writing and sharing this story is way out of my comfort zone. I guess that’s a lesson I learned from Kevan. I’m sure he was out of his comfort zone when he first started coming around our house and then us. Kevan pushed through his discomfort so he could create himself a better life. That’s a great lesson for anyone.
