My Parker

Parker Runyon, Our Heart and Soul (2001 - September 29, 2017)

There was a kitten that hung out in the parking lot of the courthouse where I worked. He was one of several who called the bushes and back fence home. Unlike his litter-mates, he was not afraid of humans, and would often venture close for water and food, letting himself to be pet. As I walked back into my office from the courtroom one spring day, a coworker coaxed me into the supervisor's office. There was a box, and inside was the orange kitten. My coworker was well known for her love of cats and her efforts to rescue them. I had never expressed an interest in cats. In fact, I was vehemently a dog person. I did not want a cat. I had just adopted a dog the summer before and he was the light of my life. There was no way I could take in a cat. Besides, my husband, even though he was a cat person, would never go for it. Especially not as spirited and hyper as Riley our dog was. My coworker would not take no for answer, however, and without even consulting my husband, I took the kitten to the vet where he would get a check up and be neutered.

The next day, my husband and I brought our new family member home from the cat hospital. All the books say to introduce new animals to the household slowly--and we sort of did that. Just in a day.  We bundled up Parker in a blanket, my husband with him on one side of the door and Riley and I on the other to start. There were moments I thought all was lost, but the cat and dog were best friends by night fall. They were my boys. Parker and Riley.

I loved how well they got along with each other. They played together, and while Riley wasn't much of a cuddler unless it was with me, Parker snuck in there a few times.  Where my dog Riley was hyper, Parker was the opposite. So calm and laid back. He was the friendliest cat. Company would come and he would not run for the closest hiding place. He would march out to see what who was there and maybe climb on or into their bag if they had one.

Parker was very proper in that he would not walk across or sit on anyone's lap if it wasn't covered. He would patiently wait for me to pull a blanket over my legs if I was wearing shorts, and then climb on. He loved sitting on our laps. It did not matter if Riley and later Mouse or Anya were already there. He would find a place to squeeze in. Even more so, Parker loved to lay on our chests when we were laying down. One of his favorite places to settle in was Anjin's lap and chest when Anjin was at his computer. Sometimes Parker would sit on the desk in front of the monitor and nudge my husband's hand with his head whenever Anjin reached for the mouse.

When we first brought Anya, a stray kitten, home, she and Riley hit it off instantly. Not so much Parker and Anya. It took a while, but the two grew quite close after awhile. I like to think it is because Parker and I had a talk about his responsibility of being a big brother to her, but likely he fell for the cute ball of fur just like everyone else in the household had. Parker was there for her when she was really sick and we almost lost her. He groomed her and played with her. We would often find them curled around each other napping.

Parker was not sure what to make of Mouse at first, but when she would cry, he would come running to see what was wrong. Sometimes it seemed like he was able to comfort her when Anjin and I were not able to. He was so patient with her--always. Sometimes at night when I would be cuddled in bed next to Mouse, Parker would settle half on me and half on her, purring to his heart's content. These last few months, Parker took to sleeping on our pillows by our heads at night, something I discouraged for many years and he never showed an interest in until one night I offered him the chance. He especially loved to curl up near Mouse's head.

As soon as the bath water started running for Mouse's bath, Parker was right there. He would either like on the floor towel in front of the tub as Mouse bathed or he would sit on the edge of the tub watching her play. There was one time when he fell in and just stood stalk still in the water, unsure what to do until I pulled him out.

People say dogs are more affectionate and eagerly greet you at the door when you come home after a hard day's work unlike a cat. Those people never met my cats. Parker especially was often right at the door when I opened it in each evening. He liked to wait for me in the bathroom area as I got ready for work in the mornings or bed at night. Parker always seemed to know when I needed him the most. If I was in physical or emotional pain, he would lay with me, his purrs helping to ease that pain.

Like most cats, Parker was a morning cat, and would often wake me up in the wee hours of the morning (always before my alarm was set to go off). Pluck. Pluck. Pluck. he would pluck my nightshirt or the blanket to get my attention. Sometimes mewing, but mostly just plucking. He had this habit, too, of trying to move a blanket away from my face if he thought it was covering  or too close to my mouth. When we would nap together, just he and I, he would settle in with his face just an inch or so away from my own. He liked to be close. Anjin always got a little annoyed at how Parker liked to groom his beard, but we would always end up laughing about it. 

Parker was a comforting force in our house. When I think of him, it is always how he was there for us--this solid, calm force. The worst I saw him was after Riley and Anya died four years ago. He took their deaths very hard. It is also when his health began to decline.  During a visit the Cat Hospital the November after their deaths, the veterinarian talked me into bringing home a scruffy kitten named Gracie for a trial visit, thinking perhaps Parker would like some company. His health and demeanor did improve after that. Gracie turned out to be good for all of us, I think.

Parker went through a lot in his sixteen years of life, including having a cancerous tumor removed a couple years ago and other chronic health issues involving his digestive system (Triaditis) in his later years which required him to take a variety of medications on a daily basis. In his life, he survived a move, a break in, a new baby, new cats in the home, the loss of his fur friends, and the attentions of a young child, among other events.

Parker was the inspiration for my blog's name, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. It is because of him I took on the name Literary Feline. He often would butt his head against my book or kindle while I read, and liked to lay on my books on the shelves. He sometimes would even lay on my book as I was reading if I had it laid flat on the bed. He liked to sit on my lap or chest as I read, depending on if I was sitting or laying on my back.

This past year Parker had many ups and down, adding new medications to his existing regiment. He seemed to improve considerably, only to take a turn for the worst in September. More blood tests and another ultrasound which only led to bad news. Lymphoma. Parker's condition deteriorated rapidly after the diagnosis. By then he had already lost half his weight and was unsteady on his feet. Mouse, Anjin and I took turns saying goodbye to our Parker, our heart and soul, before we visited the cat hospital for the last time.

Words that instantly spring to mind when I think of him are kind, gentle, calm, considerate and loving and oh so soft. He had the softest fur of any cat I have ever had the chance to pet. They say cats have a favorite person, but I am not sure Parker really did. He seemed to always dole his time out between us fairly. He was my first ever cat. He turned this dog person into a cat person. Losing Parker has been heartbreaking. We all loved him so much. There will never be another cat like him in our lives. 

When I think of him now, I imagine him playing with Riley and Anya, young again and happy, his purrs filling the air the way they did my heart. 

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