>Marcus came to me 12 years ago as a 3 day old abandoned kitten in the Mission district of San Francisco. He and his 2 litter mates were found by some children and passed along to a friend of mine. Since the SPCA does not accept animals that young, she asked me and another friend to help her raise them to 6 weeks old when they would be adopted.
It was labor intensive to say the least. I had to take them to work and feed them by bottle every few hours. They slept under a heating lamp and on a heating pad. I got a book that taught be how to be the mommy cat and show them to use the litter. I remember Marcus was the best eater of all of them. He really enjoyed the bottle feedings.
Even though it was time consuming, the rewards were numerous. I was there when they first open their eyes. I witnessed their first few steps. I encouraged them as they learned to use the litter box on their own. And after 6 weeks, I was thoroughly bonded and connected with them.
As it turned out, all of the people who were going to adopt them bailed. I ended up taking Marcus and his sister Frida. The third went to another person who had helped in the care-taking process.
Marcus was really a dog in a cat’s body. Where Frida was stealth and could catch a humming bird in flight, Marcus was clumsy and goofy. He followed me around the house. He slept at the foot of the bed or on my head. He woke me in the mornings to be fed. He was vocal and loving.
When he was younger, he would escape the yard and hang out in the neighbor’s collapsed garage. I would fetch him and put him safely back in our yard. As he aged, he mellowed and really enjoyed sleeping in the sun on the deck.
He was curious and I have several pictures of him and my son as a baby with both of them looking at the ground at a bug or some other thing of interest.
He was long and lanky with gray spots like a dog’s coat. He loved being brushed and purred with delight. He was the dominate guy in the house and the first to eat. Katie, our later addition to the family, loved Marcus as a buddy. He allowed her to snuggle with him and share his food right from his bowl.
Marcus left us on Saturday. We are all very sad and miss him terribly. Katie is a bit down as I think she is really missing him. He was really the best cat I could have ever asked for. He enjoyed life and enjoyed us.
