Jackson Tiger Pepe LePew Drummer Boy, Part One

"Adorable cat for adoption."

That will get you to open an ad for a cat looking for a home wouldn't it?  

Well, it worked for me.   

Several weeks after Tiger's tragic death in November of 2012, I had decided, with Tyler's approval of course, to open our home to another cat that needed a forever home. 

Tiger would have wanted that.

Besides, I had gotten used to a 2-cat home.  Tyler did as well.  Brave as he was in those weeks as the only cat again, I could tell he missed having a friend.  He spent a fair amount of time sleeping in Tiger's old beds and sitting in Tiger's favorite spots. He was quieter than normal, a tiny bit sad, and out of sorts.

Out of paranoia I brought him to my elder vet (who had gotten his power back finally) and had him give Tyler the once over.  For a 13 year old cat, Tyler was in pretty decent health.  Whew.

Anyway, the I opened the ad.

"So much love to give!"

I was intrigued. 

"This is Pepe, as in the adorable cartoon character Pepe LePew."

Another cat with a stupid name, was this a trend, like back in the '80's when girls were named Regan?

The ad had several pictures of what actually was an adorable white and tabby cat, stretched out here, stretched out there.  I always liked grey tabby cats, with the dark stripes.  He looked like a big lazy lug.  Not to mention he was already front declawed, which was a must given the old man had not one claw.  The owners were giving up Pepe because they were about to give birth to their first child, and the in-laws, who would help babysit, were deathly allergic to cats.  In fact, Pepe's former roommate had already been sent to live with a new family in Hoboken.

Baby in, cats out.  

Don't get me started on that.  

OK, fine, I'll rant a little, you twisted my arm long enough.

There is nothing, NOTHING, on this earth that would ever cause me to give up my pets, and I have little respect for people that do.  When you adopt an animal, it is a lifetime commitment.  You have made the choice to open your home to that animal, be it a dog, a cat, a bird, whatever.  For a cat, that can be 15-20 years, for a dog, at least 10. You are now responsible for the care and well being of an animal, a LIFE.  Yet people constantly give up their pets for the dumbest fucking reasons and it never ceases to really grind my gears.  

We don't have time for a pet anymore.  

They don't match the furniture.  

They had too many accidents.  

We are moving.  

Our new landlord won't allow pets.  

Sorry folks, all UNACCEPTABLE REASONS.  Find a different landlord.  Make the time. Figure it out.  It's an animal.  They have feelings.  They love you, they depend on you.  You can't just give them up just because life throws you a curve ball.

Your in-laws are allergic?  Don't allow them into the home, they can pick up your baby and bring it to their home to babysit, there's a great invention that's been around for a century called the automobile that makes those kind of things very easy.

OK, rant over, you get my point. Where was I?

Right, the ad for Pepe.  

I answered the ad via text and got a quick response.  

Indeed Pepe was available, and the owner and I had several conversations.  Yes, I kept my opinions to myself and was non-judgemental.  In fact she seemed to be nice and well meaning, wanting the best possible home for her cat.  Pepe was 5, in good health, about 15 pounds, and since he had lived with another cat, she was convinced he would get along with Tyler.  Pepe did have to be on a special diet owing to bladder stones he had as a kitten which I told her would not be a problem.  She asked me a lot of questions about my home, my job, my lifestyle, which I also took to be a good sign.  For good measure I shared with her a YouTube video I had made as a tribute to Tiger to show her the kind of owner I was and how I loved my pets.

The video made her cry.  She wanted Pepe to live with me.  They lived in Staten Island, so rather than having to drive out there to meet Pepe, she offered to have her husband bring him to me the following weekend and I agreed. She would give me all of his toys, cat beds, a soft cat carrier, a large multi-level cat tree (Tyler was particularly excited about that) and three months of his special Science Diet c/d urinary tract health cat food, both wet and dry.  They were generous, that was for sure!

It was decided, Tyler was getting a new friend, or rather a new assistant, and we were giving another cat a forever home!

You may be wondering what the deal is with the title of this blog post, right?  OK, I'll tell you.  

To me, he looked like a Jack, so he became.....Jack. 

I liked it.  Henceforth, Pepe would be known as Jackson.  Jackson, in fact, started a new tradition of mine of having the new cat's middle name be the name of the cat they succeeded, making his name Jackson Tiger Pepe LePew.  But wait, there's more! When I told his soon-to-be former owner what I was going to call him, I found out that Jackson in fact had a different name as a kitten!  Drummer Boy.  DRUMMER BOY?  Someone must be a Christmas fan!  Still with me, cat fans?  

Jackson's full name, therefore, was a mouthful.

Jackson Tiger Pepe LePew Drummer Boy.

Say that five times fast.