A Tribute to Rebel

On Thursday morning, April 2nd, we woke up at 4:45 a.m. to what sounded like Mocha or Blue attacking Rebel. Then, we realized it was just him hissing and howling. He made a sound like he was throwing up, took a big breath, and stopped breathing. John popped him in the chest, and several seconds later, he came back. He had a few spasms but was able to get up a few minutes later, although he walked drunk afterward. Within 30 minutes though, he was eating, drinking, and walking normally, even jumping up on the bed and coming to find us and rub up against us. HG woke up before we left for the vet and was able to give him a sweet hug and kiss.

We were waiting at the vet when they opened, and all his blood work was normal (red and white counts, organ function). The vet thought it was syncope where cats lose consciousness for a few seconds, like when you get wind knocked out of you, and was likely a freak thing. She sent us home with some antibiotics to help his breathing during allergy season.

My dad took Rebel home, and John and I went into work. Since HG was off school that day, they were home with Rebel for a few hours before going back to their house, and he was totally normal. Jody was also at our house that afternoon and lastly saw Rebel lazily watching her from the couch as she vacuumed the living room.

Sadly though, John came home after work and found Rebel on the couch, and he was gone. No signs of a fit like in the morning. He just looked like he was peacefully asleep.

John brought Rebel and Mocha home to me as a gift after we’d been married one month (2006). They were our first pets that were truly our own as grownups. Helen Grace has never known a night without Rebel sleeping by her crib or on her pillow. We are so confused and heartbroken and don’t want to think about life without our beloved Rebel; however, we are happy that he died at home peacefully on his couch and left us with so many happy memories.

Here are some things that we’ll hold near and dear to our hearts…

• Rebel had a rough start- Mocha scratched his eyeball when they were in a cage at the breeder. He was scrawny for his early life, but he soon grew to be a hoss, weighing 11.5 pounds the day he died. Despite his size, he was usually the one that Mo and Blue picked on.
• He loved getting loving and was always pawing at you for more. He’d fuss and howl at you until you loved on him.
• At HG’s bedtime, you could find him on the back of the chair in HG’s room or on her pillow. He paid enough attention to our movements that he would often see us gathering things and would beat us to her room. At our bedtime, he was sleeping on John’s hip and loved getting cozy in our blue fleece blanket.
• Always had to be in the room with you. He’d sit in my lap while I watched tv at night or on my bathroom counter while I put on makeup. He’d often sit in John’s lap in his office at night.
• He was very protective of HG (wanted to be near her), although arthritis in his back hip in old age kept HG from carrying him around.
• He was shy and stand-offish for strangers.
• He loved to get brushed, loved hairball medicine, and loved to sit in the kitchen window and take a sun bath.
• You could hear him in the room by his sniffling/breathing. Probably because he couldn’t breathe, his tongue often stuck out.
• He was known for assuming the Buddha position in a place where he could see all the action.

Mad CatTheir first birthday in 2007Buddha CatWaiting on HG to be bornJuly 2009I took this as I was rocking HG to sleep; Rebel was sleeping at our chair’s feet.Oct 2009March 2010August 2012October 2012August 2013March 2014Feb 2015Last pic taken of him on April 2, 2015 (before we went to the vet)