Nubbin

2010 - 2023

He is that special cat which captures not just your heart, but gets all the way into your very soul. Truly unique in every way. He was My lap cat, my emotional support, my best friend, my baby!
We met when he came into the veterinary hospital, where I worked with a litter of kittens and the poor boy had been abused in a way that appeared to be someone wrapping a rubber band or tying up his right back paw to his front left paw (which had become hard and petrified) at only 2 months old. The very first time I looked at him, I just knew he had to be mine to take care of and give him the best of everything (basically spoiled to the core). It is uncommon for a male cat to be castrated so young, but the veterinarian on duty wanted to take care of the bad front paw and decided while he was under anesthesia she could do both at the same time. So, with my assistance she amputated just the paw leaving the main bones intacT and castrated. Unable to leave his side, I stayed with him and monitored until he was fully awake.
He stayed at the hospital for one month under observation and constant care. We even let him play at the front desk when he got frisky and needed to let out some of his abundant energy. It just so happened that I would be getting married at the end of the month and moving to a different town, so after all of the adoption paperwork was completed, he as well as another cat needed a good home made the move just weeks after the marriage.
This little boy added so much joy and happiness to our lives adapting beautifully to his paw less left leg. He ran around whenever he had the "zoomies", played as if nothing bad had ever happened to him.
At night he would jump on our bed, and fall asleep putting his little head inTO my outstretched hand. There is no doubt in my mind that he loved me as much as I loved him. He followed me around where I was going in the house. He would meow and meow if ever there was a door between us. He meowed whenever he wanted something and lucky for him, he had a very attentive mother with whom almost never left a meow unanswered. It didn't take him long to figure that one out and work it for his advantage. He worked out diffERENT meows depending on what he wanted and ended up training me to be at his beck and meow. This wasn't only one way either, eventually I had him trained to give me kisses and to put his back claws on the couch instead of in my legs. At lunch time he would sit in a chair at the dinning room table and beg with his "nub" for what we were eating which turned into on the couch when we had a snack, so forth and so on. He never really seemed to obtain an older cat face. To us, he reminded a kitten his whole life.
We haVE so many stories in which he was included in Whatever we were doing, even away from home. When we would go on vacation, his daddy made up a story about nubbin following us on his 'baby Harley' with his little suitcase strapped to the back. I have at least two pictures of him in my suitcase. Oh, how I wished he could have been with us to All the amazing places we have visited. Nubbin had his own imaginary businesses like restaurants, hotels, dance halls and such. We basically created an entire imaginary life for him to always be included. These stories will last forevermore in our hearts.