Ch. Caterwaul’s Touchstone

Quick was the word that came to mind when describing Touchstone. Quick-witted: he was the most intelligent of my cats, very inquisitive. Once, like Alice in Wonderland, he disappeared down a rabbit hole. He also moved about quickly: places to go, things to see, ladies to visit – Touchstone was always on the move.

For a decade we had had a cat-proof run outside but then Touchstone was born. Like Houdini he found his way out so now we have a second run, completely roofed in. When we first put him in there he investigated every nook and corner, hanging like a fly from the ceiling.

From his father Gr. Int. Pr. Cattractive King Lear he inherited his love for kittens and like his father he took care of them. As he proved his manhood by spraying he needed to wear pants when he was inside the house.

He was neutered in 2006 and it took him a whole year to stop spraying, he was quite a macho man. He followed in his father’s footsteps as he regularly contributed blood for the Dutch veterinary blood bank. Like King Lear he helped saving the life of other cats.

Touchstone was the social glue in our group of cats, he was a mixer, he knew when one of the other cats needed special attention or comfort. In the winter of 2014-2015 he was ill twice and it was good to see how the other cats took care of him in return. He was still strong then and recovered. But that summer we lost 15,5-year-old Cobweb, his closest friend and he missed her dearly, it cost him.

When he became ill again in January 2016, he had lost the will to fight, he withered away, stopped eating, looked at me as if to say “I’m really trying, but I have nothing left”. He was cold, always needing and getting the company of Jetsetter and Babyface, who were always near. Sometimes he even slept on top of them to get some warmth. His weight fell off him, no one would have recognized him as the muscled athlete he used to be.

On February 15th 2016 we had to say A Dieu to Ch. Caterwaul’s Touchstone. He gave us joy and love, we have fond memories of this boy and are happy that he shared our household for 14 years, 10 of them as a neuter. His grave is in a special place: it is the first thing I see when I go out, like his face was always the first thing I saw when he woke me up in the morning