In Loving Memory

This is something my dad wrote in memory of Smacky. A lot of these memories are the same for me, so I decided to post this.

"Some Remembrances of My Smacky Boy

2005-2007

Smacky will go down as one of the great cats of all time. My "Boy" died about 10 hours ago, and he's on my mind. I hope he's in Little Dog's Park in Heaven right now.

Smacky Boy came to 4308 Royal Aberdeen in late June of 2005. "Black and White" was an abandoned kitten who I found one afternoon as I was leaving the Medical School on my way to the parking lot. The kitten seemed frightened by all the commotion and noise, so I decided to bring him home.

He was an immediate hit with the household. He was so good-natured and playful! He and Little Dog became best friends, though more like brother (Smacky) and sister (Little Dog). Even as a youngster, Smacky displayed a trait that I have never seen exhibited to such a degree in cats-confidence. He took everything in stride. Nothing ever bothered him much.

Smacky was named after the little pet bear of Bucky-cat in the comic strip, Get Fuzzy. Somehow the name really fit him well.

Here are a few things I'll always remember about my "Sugar Smacks."

He was extremely bright in many ways. One day when he was still a juvenile, I opened the refrigerator, and he just walked up to it and pulled out a can of Fritz's opened cat food in his mouth. He knew right away what he wanted and got it. He put the can down and started eating.

Smacky was also a long, lean, athletic cat. He had the longest legs, front and back, of any cat I've ever seen. He also had such a cute lovable face.

Nothing much ever seemed to bother Smacky. He loved playing with dogs, like Little Dog, Oreo (after Little Dog died from being hit by a car), and with Elle (the neighbor dog across the street). One of Smacky's classic maneuvers was what I called the "Rope-a-Dope," after a defensive move that Muhammad Ali used to do in the boxing ring. Smacky would lay on his side on the ground while the dog he was playing with would be trying to nip at Smacky. Smacky would just twist himself to keep from getting grabbed. Oreo would sometimes bite Smacky's ear and tug him, but Smacky never seemed to mind much.

Smacky also liked to tease the larger (and meaner) dogs in the neighborhood-- like the ones in the yard behind ours. Smacky would go up to their fence and just lay down, which would send them into a barking and jumping frenzy, because they couldn't get him.

I also suspected that Smacky was part polar bear, because he didn't mind staying outside on extremely cold winter nights. It wasn't unusual-even if it was 15 to 20 degrees-to find Smacky in the middle of the night on a chair outside the front door. Most of the time, he would come in, but he wasn't in a hurry.

Smacks was pretty much an omnivore. He liked dry cat food, he liked "squishy" cat food, he liked dog food, and he like people food. It didn't much matter to Smacky what kind of food he was given.

If Smacky had a weakness, it was that he didn't seem to be intimidated by cars. It wasn't unusual to see him lying in the middle of the street. My prediction was that he would eventually be hit by a car.

Something car-related proved to cause his final demise. About 4 pm yesterday afternoon (Saturday, 12/22/07), Carolyn was closing the garage door and Smacky ran under it at exactly the wrong time. The door crushed him right in the middle, killing him instantly. Carolyn called for me. I found him lifeless. No more Little Boy.

I hope to see my friend someday in heaven in Little Dog's Park. After Little Dog died, I asked God if He would give Little Dog a park in heaven for animals killed by cars or in other accidents. I'm going to ask God if He would let Smacky be Little Dog's assistant. Smacky wanted to be everyone's friend. He was certainly mine.

I'll miss you my friend. Yet another reminder of the fragility of life in this world."