Pets

I said goodbye to an old friend today and laid to rest my cat, companion, and confidant of thirteen years. He is survived by his brother/littermate and a host of fond memories that will keep him forever in my thoughts. I thought about posting a recent picture but decided he would have appreciated it more if I showed him off in one of his favorite poses, with exposed belly and splayed legs viewing the world through the slitted eyes of lazy contentment. This often displayed, blatantly immodest mode of sleep never failed to make my wife and I smile and I can think of no better way to remember my old friend.

But this is a recovery blog, and as a sober cat he would have expected a relevant tribute. So in honor of Thing 2, I would like to tell you about what he has taught me about the second step.

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I like to think of myself as toughened by habitual exposure to the cruel and senseless behavior of those who abuse alcohol but every one has a soft spot, and mine is cats. No, this doesn’t mean I am any less an advocate for those of my own species affected by substance abuse, but maybe because incidents that involve a drunk and a cat are less common they invoke a more visceral response. Regardless of why, these two stories of very mean drunks from last week really irritated me.

Drunk dad forces children to kill family cat.

Drunk man kicks girlfriend’s cat to death.

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Thing 1 and Thing 2 are the mixed breed black cats I’ve had since the first full year of my recovery. If the names don't ring a bell I suggest a little Dr. Seuss to refresh your memory, they earned their names early on in life to the detriment of my first apartment after treatment. I picked them up from an animal shelter in 1995 choosing these two over all others not because they were cute and cuddly, but because they were hanging upside down from their cage not content to lie around in their own poop all day- they wanted something better.

As a nonjudgmental support team, they have played a vital role in my recovery so much so that I have referred to them before as my sober cats. Especially for those new to sobriety, I think pets are a much better idea than people relationships because of the unconditional love they offer and absence of any emotional backlash or personal problems that may threaten the priority of recovery. Always home, happy to see me, and willing to listen… cats (and dogs) have little downside.

But as the title suggests, I have been saddened lately because the end is near for Thing 2.

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