He first appeared in the neighborhood in the spring of 2007. An older gray and white cat perhaps 10 or 11 years old, he was in pretty bad shape. He was dirty and malnourished, had large gashes on his face and body, and an injured left eye. It was useless to him and may have been the result of being hit by a car. He was going from house to house living on handouts of food and affection.
One day my wife's sister and niece stopped by. They noticed the poor animal in the vicinity and started leaving him food and water on our front deck. They named him Morris. Although we were not the only ones feeding him, he began hanging around. We would usually arrive home only to find him lounging in the sunlight of our front lawn or sleeping in the middle of the driveway. Clearly, he had chosen us.
We were quite taken with Morris's friendly and trusting nature. Before long we were providing him with a bed next to the front door. He made himself comfortable right away and it soon became his preferred place to wait for us.
One day my wife's sister and niece stopped by. They noticed the poor animal in the vicinity and started leaving him food and water on our front deck. They named him Morris. Although we were not the only ones feeding him, he began hanging around. We would usually arrive home only to find him lounging in the sunlight of our front lawn or sleeping in the middle of the driveway. Clearly, he had chosen us.
We were quite taken with Morris's friendly and trusting nature. Before long we were providing him with a bed next to the front door. He made himself comfortable right away and it soon became his preferred place to wait for us.
We asked around and no one, including the local vet, knew were he came from or who he belonged to. We went ahead and cleaned him up, got him his shots and had his abcessed teeth pulled. After that we stopped inquiring. If anyone did own Morris they didn't deserve him because they clearly had not taken care of him. Although Jennifer and I had not had pets before, we wanted to adopt him. One day in July, I opened the front door and invited him in. He thought about it for a few minutes, gingerly stepped across the threshhold, urinated on the floor and proceeded to check out his new home.
As the weeks went by he gained weight and his health improved. He took a liking to being a housecat and developed a daily routine which included ample amounts of sleep and lap sitting. Morris was a delight to live with and we were very glad we had taken him in.
The Elyria Public Library was participating in the city's Halloween parade that year and we
thought it would be fun to bring Morris. We dressed him in a Halloween T-shirt and placed him in a shopping cart, complete with a sign made by a staff member. Then we headed downtown. I pushed him down Broad Street just ahead of the bookmobile. It was a long route, but Morris enjoyed the ride and was fascinated by the crowds. As onlookers peered more closely at the shopping cart there were cries of amazement: "It's a cat!"Morris became a valued, some would say say spoiled, member of our household. He slept on a heated massage bed, travelled in a pet booster seat in the car, and looked out the windows of the sunroom that was built for him. We felt that, after all he had been through, he deserved his luxuries.
He enjoyed being with people and, when visitors came over, would come out and join the group. He spent hours watching the contractors doing their work.
Morris and I became buddies from the start. He would go from room to room looking for me when I wasn't home, or would pry open the basement door and scamper down the stairs to see what I was doing in our "man cave." Sometimes he would walk on me or bite our toes at 5:00 a.m. to let us know it was time to get up for breakfast. Other times I would awaken to find him sleeping peacefully beside me with his front paws on my arm.
Morris was always a welcome guest at the Yellow Barrel of Magic where he enjoyed seeing his friends Norbert, Beverly and Ron, the magician. Sometimes we went to Cahoon Park to watch dogs, look out over Lake Erie, or simply enjoy the sunshine. His presence usually produced smiles and comments from people surprised and pleased to see a cat outdoors.
Although I had been practicing magic since I was a kid, it wasn't until 2009 that I decided to take it public. My first show was to be held at a local nursing home, the Bradley Bay Health Center. As I prepared my act, it occurred to me that it might be entertaining to make Morris a part of it. So I did.
The day in June arrived when I gave my show. The audience of seniors was appreciative of my act which featured colorful handkerchiefs, ropes and linking rings. For the final trick I introduced my special guest, "feline magician and sleight-of-paw artist Morris the Magnificent!" I started playing the James Bond theme and Morris was brought up front dressed in his tuxedo. I made several more jokes and the audience loved it. Then Morris did his trick and received even greater applause. Afterwards he graciously made himself available for petting. He was a hit! If there were any group of people in need of the comfort and assurance Morris provided, it would be the residents of a nursing home.
Morris subsquently repeated his performance at another retirement community, Willow Brook Christian Community, and later at the Cleveland Public Library for a children's show. He was quite a trouper.
As 2011 got underway, Jennifer and I became concerned that he was losing his appetite. A trip to the vet revealed that his liver was not doing its job. I desperately fed him food, water and medicine throughout each day, hoping to get him back on track, but Morris lost weight and became weaker and weaker. Even additional visits to the Lakewood Animal Hospital, where he received excellent care, failed to alter his course. He started having seizures and seemed to have become totally blind.
At 2:00 on Saturday afternoon Morris passed away as I held him in my arms. It was the end of
four wonderful years shared with a very brave and endearing creature.It's funny how the love of a small animal can change your life. Although we had him for only a short time, Morris greatly enriched ours. In addition, he brought a bit of joy to the lives all who met him, young and old alike.
Thank you, Morris. We will never forget you.
Stephen L. Gallant
Monday, April 11, 2011
