LONG LIVE THE KING

It is my sad duty to report that my cat Tristan suddenly passed early Sunday evening. He went under a bed to take a nap and didn’t wake up when it was time for dinner.

He was a little more than 15 years old.

Tristan was born to a litter of kittens at the Dallas Water Treatment plant with the approximate birthdate of 1 April 2004. He was a large sized long-haired tabby cat with possibly some Maine Coon in him given his friendly nature, paw size, and claw length.

My mom’s then-boyfriend, now-husband rescued him and gifted him to my mother. My sister Michelle named him Tristan. He also went by other names: King Kitty, Bear, Tribble, Caterpillar of Doom.

He was paired up with a black cat named Felix and they became instant friends. When my mother did a period of travel nursing in 2008 that took her to Baton Rouge, she took both cats with her. She remarked that Tristan was an excellent traveler.

When Mewsette passed in October 2010, my mother brought Tristan to live with me as a transition pet. I decided to keep him because we bonded. When I moved to Denver in December 2013, he lived up to the claim of being an excellent traveler. Upon leaving Denton, he did not say much because he eventually understood that he was in good care. My arrival in Denver resulted in him being reunited with Felix until his passing in May 2015 under similar circumstances.

Tristan loved to venture outside (with supervision of course) to roll on the pavement, climb up and down apartment stairs, eat grass, and an occasional frolic in the snow. He would scurry for treats. The only water he would drink was when it came out of the tub faucet.

Tristan was a very confident and outgoing cat. During a visit to the vet, one remarked how friendly and approachable he was. Despite his large size, he was very mobile. You had to be aware of when you went outside because he would slither outside. Tristan had a deep purr, and distinct tiny meow. If you were nearby and you called him, he came. He would follow me just about everywhere – into my bedroom to lay on a folded blue blanket in bed next to me or into the bathroom while I took a shower. When I would come home, Tristan would greet you at the front door with his meow or be waiting for you on the bed with the look of “where have you been” like most cats do.

Tristan was definitely the Alpha Cat as he would let the other cats – Marley and Elric – I lived with know who was the boss, but he was a gentleman as he would let the other cats eat first. He would groom and play with Elric and let Marley, commonly called Old Lady, be herself.

I thought Tristan and I have would have more time together but unfortunately that was not to be. I cried many tears over his passing, but we had nine years together and I cherished every day I had with him by letting him know that he was loved and appreciated and in return he gave that to me with rubbing up on me and paw me as well as grabbing my arm when I held him and giving him shoulder rides.

Tristan was a brave cat who would regularly patrol to ensure that his kingdom was secured.

He made sure of that during his last watch before he took his final cat nap.

Long live the king