Alexsi

Alexsi is my other cat. Well, now he is my only cat.

Sasha has been gone for almost two months. It's kind of hard to believe. He was such a constant in my life for so long, and now he's gone. The weeks following were rough. I cried more than I thought I would. I mourned him. A few friends sent me sympathy cards. The staff at my vet sent me the nicest card. And while I was upset, it was after he was gone that I realized how stressed I had become about him. When I would walk in the front doo the first thing I would do was look for him (if he didn't meet me at the door). Then I'd look to see if he's been vomiting. With only one cat, I was also able to see just how much Sasha was drinking and peeing (a lot)--things that indicate there were kidney problems. It made me feel better to know it was the right decision, but it still didn't take away from the fact that I missed him sitting on my shoulder, sleeping next to my head, and just being him.

Sasha with Alexsi in the background

I was concerned how Alexsi would react to being an only cat. I got Alexsi when he was four months old. Shortly after putting down Misha, my four-year old cat, after a lengthy illness, I found out Sasha could not be an only cat. Alexsi came form the local humane society, and they told me he always seemed to be happier when he had a companion. From the moment I brought Alexsi home, he and Sasha were the best of friends. You know what? He does great as an only cat.

Alexsi has played second fiddle to Sasha for most of his life. Sasha demanded attention. Alexsi was cool with sleeping at the end of the bed or on the floor next to the couch--as opposed to Sasha who had to be on me every waking second. It didn't take long for Alexsi to take his place as a lap cat. He still sleeps at the end of the bed and is still content to hang out on the other end of the couch, but he is much more demanding of my attention than he used to be.

The twenty-three pound lap cat

He's gotten a little more active. He climbs up on the back of the couch to both sleep and to get my attention. He's become chatty. He's become a cuddler. He waits for me at the front door. Some of these things, like climbing up on the back of the couch, were Sasha's things, and now Alexsi has made them his. Basically, he has embraced being an only cat. He seems to love the attention.

I considered getting a second cat sometime in the near future, but after seeing him on his own, I don't think I could do that to him. He's finally the center of my attention. He's still himself and sleeps at the end of the couch or on the fancy new bed I bought him ("fancy" in that it's not is preferred cat bed: A cardboard box.) He is still a cat.

Alexsi, sleeping on his part of the couch

Alexsi did have some health issues, and I had him in to the vet a week to the day after I put Sasha down. Sometime last year, Alexsi developed a shake/tremor/twitch him his head and his front legs. Several weeks and a few different kids of medicine later, and nothing has changed. It appeared they were happening more frequently, but that may have been because he spends more time in my lap. But now it seems like they've decreased in frequency, but that might be because I've gotten used to them. Without an MRI or some other type of advanced testing that would require a trip to Seattle, we'll probably never know what is causing the twitching. The non-reaction to medicine rules out a few things, namely a brain tumor (of course, it could still be, but more than likely it isn't a growth or a tumor). There were a few other types of medicine I could've given him, but the vet suspected they wouldn't change anything. I agreed. Whatever this is doesn't interfere with his life or seem to bother him. And he doesn't appear to be in pain. So... I'm just letting it continue. If it does get worse or it does begin to interfere with his life, well, then I'll rethink the whole thing.

But for now, Alexsi has grown into being a lovable, wonderful cat.