Monday, 11 May 2020

Murphy


We said goodbye to Murphy on Friday morning. He was 17. He was a good boy; he was never any trouble.

I'll miss the way he used to try to trip me up first thing in a morning until he got his cat food.

I'll miss the way he used to squeeze himself into boxes that were far too small for a cat his size... and let us slide him around the room in those boxes like they were little cars. Occasionally we'd draw wheels on the side, and a number plate: Murphy 1.



I'll miss the way he used to sit at taps if they were dripping, catch the drips on his paws, and try to drink them.

One time he did this while Louise was filling the bath. He fell in. Quite a sorry sight.





He was a playful chap, but a bit grumpy too. I liked that. He was Louise's cat long before she met me and I think he saw me as a bit of a comer-in, but I like to think he developed a grudging affection for me, as I did him.

I'll miss him more than I can say.

When I posted a farewell on Facebook, a friend left the perfect comment.

"Mission complete, Agent Murphy."




10 comments:

  1. Lovely story. I miss my cat too, especially the daft things she got up to with cardboard boxes and chasing a ping pong ball around the house. And now I miss not being able to talk to her when I'm shut indoors most of the time.

    RIP Murphy.

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  2. Sorry to hear this Rol. They work their way into our lives and its sad when they go.

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  3. Very sorry to hear this Rol. The tiny box photos are priceless - what a character.

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  4. "I'll miss him more than I can say."
    Sad sad news.

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  5. So sorry to hear this Rol and I can totally understand how much you'll miss him. Fantastic photos; I'm getting his character just from those. Love the thought of him being slid around in his little box-car with painted wheels. 'Boxcar Murphy' :-)

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  6. We've always had anywhere between one and three cats for as long as I can remember. Saying goodbye to them is never easy; I went back thru my blog (effectively my diary since 2010) to see when we lost Tom. Reading your blog was so familiar. Chin up, he'll live on in your thoughts for a long, long time.

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  7. So sorry to hear this sad news Rol and family - Sounds as if he’s been around for most of Louise’s adult life so tough indeed. Love the pictures - Looks as if he loved his shoeboxes. Perfect comment from your Facebook friend.

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  8. Sorry for your loss. I've been there.

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  9. I feel empathy as well. Lily and Sadie were our cats. They came from the same litter and were with us until they passed away just a few weeks from each other. When Sadie went we knew it wouldn't be long before Lily would follow. They were with us from Chicago to Japan to Washington, D.C. and back to Chicago again between 1992 and 2008. They have been gone for more than a decade, but your touching photo of Murphy in the much too small box sure brought back a flood of memories. My condolences.

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  10. Sad news Rol.He looks and sounds like a real character

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