Let me begin by saying that I never thought I would have a cat. Ever. I had always been allergic to cat dander, and I am more of a "no pet" kind of person. They're old lady pets, right?But this cat was different. We found her at a cabin in the Hocking hills region, abandoned in the woods. She kept coming in through open doors and snuggling up next to anyone and everyone. None of the people we were with wanted or could have a cat, and so I stepped up and said I would take her. Beth was like "Really?" So we brought her home and shelled out the $5M (U.S.) it takes to neuter and vaccinate a stray cat. It was worth it.
I hadn't had a pet in 15+ years, and was having a hard time naming her. I was partial to Jazz, but Beth once had a cat named Jasmine that she had called Jazz sometimes so that was a no. We were laying in bed one night thinking of names and I said, "How about Playstation 2? Bob has a cat named Mudflap. So pretty much anything goes, right?" And we both laughed and agreed that it was so ridiculous it just might work. The looks I've gotten from Veterinarians, old neighbors, and Pet Store employees are priceless!
Over the years, it became apparent to all that PS2 was the friendliest, most affectionate cat anyone had ever met. If you've sat down in my house in the last 8 years, you've had my cat in your lap. Guaranteed. She was funny in the way that she wanted to touch you, and be touched by you, but on her terms. She was in control of the snuggling, and don't forget it!
Like most cats, she loved to play pouncing games, and this picture represents one of my fondest memories of Playstation. She had this box that she adopted. Seriously. We left it in the kitchen of the Neff house one night and came back and she was in it, and there it stayed for a month or two. She would get in and jump up and down and twist around and plot her evil little plans to take over the universe in that thing.
Beth and I wrote a song about PS2, and I'll share it here after we record it. Soon, hopefully.
Her passing was a very sudden thing, unexpected and premature. It's made me think a lot about life and biology and nature and made me thankful for the time we spend in each other's lives. I will miss you, my little friend.
-Patrick.
3 comments:
This morning I saw a long piece of ribbon lying in the hall.... reminded me of Playstation's snake. The first time it happened... we heard this weird meowing. We looked around, and there she was. She'd cornered the belt to Patrick's robe. She'd paw at it, leap in the air, twisting mid-leap, to land her attack on the beast. over and over. Funny stuff. To this day, that belt is her snake... more items became snakes over time... but that belt was her first. That ribbon... also her snake.
I remember when we all first met PS2. What a cool cat! I am so sorry to hear of her passing. ~jess
that was a nice eugoogooly Patrick. I never knew the story of how PS2 got that name.
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