PUMA R.I.P Feb.14.1995-Feb.18.2009

Life comes full circle for some.  Puma was one of two strays kitties I took in from a Manhattan animal shelter back in Feb '95. I got him to be company for my other cat Togo(Jun '94) whom I felt needed a friend since I was on my freelance film/TV hustle and didn't want  her to be a latchkey cat.  I like black cats because of the stigma associated with them. I identify with being "the outsider", "the other".  Plus having 2 black cats canceled any notion of  "bad luck".   Puma and Togo barring family/friends, probably knew me the best. They were privy to all sides of me; the good/bad/ugly, the highs/lows and knew when to let me be or come over to remind me that there was somebody in the room that thought you were OK by them no matter what.  When I decided to enlist, it was the most stressful period in trying to find them a suitable home/caretaker. Giving them to a shelter was not an option. I was blessed to find a caretaker via Pets for Vets, a non-profit organization that placed servicemember pets with caretakers until their deployment was over.  I was hooked up with this wonderful woman named Barbara H.  who lived in NYC.   I couldn't of dreamed of a better surrogate mother for Puma and Togo.  If you remembered the old school sitcom, "The Jeffersons" that was Puma and Togo's theme song.   Puma and Togo were soldiers in their right.  They spent many years in Fort Greene, Brooklyn through thick and thin with me. The evictions, the lack of employment, artistic agonies and ecstasies,  relationship drama,  etc.  They "deployed" out to LA with me for a year and we lived at the base of the Hollywood Hills where coyotes often roamed and killed dogs/cats.   Puma truly had luck on his side while we were out there. We had this nightly ritual of letting him out at evening and him returning between 3-6am. He would give his typical meow/bark to be let  in.  Sometimes, I found myself playing the role of the worried parent and scolded him for staying out late.  Togo would stay put-she was the homebody and was more of the reserved type. Puma liked to roam and I often imagined him going to some cat club or hang out spot to chill with other cats.  I even pitched a reality show about tagging cats with mini cameras and seeing where they go( as it has been with a majority of my ideas to date -too far ahead of the curve, or frequent encounters with unimaginative development persons who thrive on using narrow mental bandwidth).  So they were not your average street cats.   Most recently, Togo was diagnosed with a tumor and was losing weight. We felt that her time was coming to a close and  often given the unpredictability of current career choice,  I thought I'd visit NYC over the dead president day Feb 13-16th weekend(Valentines Day to some).  While visiting that Sunday the 15th,  Togo looked frail and but was moving around, Puma was a bit standoffish.  I have seen them several times over the past year and a half and to some degree it's very difficult because I feel they are wondering/ or confused about why I am not around anymore.  There was no indication that Puma was ill. I Just chalked it up to him being moody, jealous or even affected by Togo being sick.  One thing I forgot to mention, Puma always had to be the center of attention.  Sometimes, it would be frustrating that you couldn't pet him enough. He was extremely friendly and wanted everyone who met him, to be his personal back scratcher.  He also was a vicious mouse killer -having notched 2 on his collar.   The memories...I got a call Wednesday(18th) that Puma had to be taken to the vet because his mood from Sunday hadn't changed and he hadn't eaten. Puma could eat.  He had a bottomless stomach. He was diagnosed  with a tumor under his liver and choices for getting better were slim. I had to make the painful decision to let him pass on. Barbara was there and they gave him some gas. We are blessed to live in a society where we elevate our pets to equal status of ourselves. Pets are family.   I lost a member of my family.  It won't be the first and certainly not the last but it's reminder of the cycle of life. We come and we go.   RIP to Puma aka "Man", "Greedy P", "Blackie" and countless other names over the years that he answered to.