Michelle and I said goodbye to our sweet cat Jayne. @shell_foster was Jayne's human; he tolerated me at best.
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Jayne was diagnosed with kidney disease five years ago. Late last year he developed pancreatitis and anemia. He managed it well; most days, Jayne was as happy as can be, rolling in a sun spot, paws outstretched in his trademark super kitten position.
He was a fighter and lasted longer than anyone—especially his vet!—thought possible. He fought not only the disease, but anyone who tried to care for him. Giving him pills only resulted in blood and pain—ours, not his. And getting bloodwork done was always... dramatic.
After two infections in as many weeks and several seizure episodes, we decided it was time. A vet from @LapofLoveVets visited us at home and helped Jayne pass surrounded by love in the comfort of his favorite spot in Michelle's office.
Michelle was Jayne’s human. He would follow her from room to room, sleep on her lap at every opportunity, micromanaged her during the work day, and gave her kisses on demand. He mostly tolerated me because I occasionally gave him food.
He always needed to be the center of attention.
Jayne was fearless in playtime and sweetness in cuddle time. Loyal when it benefited him, obsessed with his very favorite toys, and added comic relief to every situation.
When playing, Jayne’s focus was on the toy, to the exclusion of other important considerations like gravity, walls, and table legs. His very favorite toy was a rattle mouse.
He played so hard with those mice they fell apart, so I bought a dozen of them. He went through all of them. [Sound on!]
Like many cats, Jayne was often more interested in non-toy playthings such as straws, hoodie strings, and the packaging a toy came in.
He was often most interested in the _receipt_ for the toy. We would roll receipts into tight little balls, and when he came running into the room at the sound of the crinkling paper, we’d throw it across the floor for him to chase. [Sound on!]
Jayne and his brother, Giles, were social cats and wanted to be with us all the time. When we returned home, the boys would be sitting in the window watching us with anticipation.
Jayne loved bedtime and would be noticeably annoyed whenever Michelle took too long. He’d sit on the bedside table, watching her impatiently, twitching his tail. “Hurry up, already!” Once settled, he would stay with her all night.
He enjoyed movies, especially Jurassic Park. He’d perk up whenever a dinosaur came on screen.
He once sat in rapt attention during the entire first 20 minutes of Gladiator. I like to think the death and blood and fire tickled some primal feline desire for chaos.
A heartfelt thank-you to the team at Auburn South Veterinary Hospital, auburnsouthvet.com. We believe their high quality of care helped extend Jayne’s life. We’re grateful for the extra time we had with our baby boy.
Thanks to @MotleyZooRescue who rescued Jayne and his brother Giles. The boys joined our family on Feb 3, 2013, and enriched our lives immeasurably.
If any of my past tweets about our cats have brought you joy, please consider a donation motleyzooanimalrescue.org/?form=rockstar…
Jed Foster@jed_foster
Jayne played hard, cuddled hard; living his best life to the end. But like his brother, @GilesCat, Jayne left us far too soon.
Jayne, you were our very good boy.
We’ll miss your impossibly soft fur, your broken purrs, your incessant need for attention, and the fierceness of your love for us.
Jayne
Aug 28, 2012 – Aug 8, 2022
