R.I.P. my darling cat Guust

Guust in the prime of his life.

19 Years ago I bought a house in Haarlem with a nice garden. The situation and house were perfect to take cats. I wanted two. Two brothers, preferably. Oh, and if they could be tabby cats, please? I found those so pretty! And I preferred kittens over adult cats.

I went to the local animal shelter. They would call me if by chance two kittens fitting my description would be brought in. A few weeks later I received a call. Two male kittens were found, orphans, covered in some sticky oily substance.

One was a tabby cat, the other was a black and white aka Tuxedo-cat.
The shelter would bring them to a foster home first where they would be taken care of and till they were 6 weeks old.

When I came to pick them up at that foster home, most of my attention went to the taddy kitten. But the family said:” They are both lovely, but the really, really sweet one is the black and white one.” Ok…

They were both wonderful, pretty and sweet cats. Dozo, the taddy cat, was a bit more dominant and catty, at times. Also a bit more difficult and picky with his food. If he smelled food that he did not like, even when it was premium food, he would sniff and right away he would heave dramatically. He made me laugh. Guust, the black and white one, was just one happy, sweet and communicative cat. He and his brother brought so much joy, laughter and love!

They both were known for their ultra-soft furs and for their long legs, especially Dozo.

Unfortunately Dozo had more often health problems and died of cancer when he was only 12 years old.

Guust lead a healthy life till he was 17. The last year and a half he had some serious health problems, but with the right medication he was doing really well.

I made this drawing of Guust, lying on a pillow on my legs. At this time he just had his first attack. It turned out to be his heart, for which he received medication since then.

His last hours were sad and bad, but until then, he led a wonderful, happy life. Everyone that met him fell in love with him.

He was a master in lap-lounging; he could lie on your legs for hours:

And then, in this lounging, relaxing state, he would look at you with these half-closed bedroom-eyes…

Last week, relaxing on/with his ‘second-mother’ Saskya, her legs wrapped like a mummy in his favorite blanket.

Ofcourse he did more then lying indoors on your lap and legs! He went outdoors all the time, through his own cat doors. To get a fresh nose.
Or….. to ly outdoors. When it was hot and sunny he found the best shaded spots. When it would be cool, he would find that last spot warmed by some sun rays.

Lying in front of his favorite South-Spanish landscape, near the beach and sea.

Behind him, in the three pots, we see himself on the left, a Spanish dog that I fell in love with in the middle, and his deceased brother Dozo on the right. And see, how his paws are aligned neatly AND excactly on the borderline of sun and shadow?! What a master!!!!

Look at the last picture above. Do you remember how top models walk? Crossing one leg over the other while walking the catwalk? Very weird way of walking actually! But as you can see above, Guust studied it well and was able to mimic that walk flawlessly. Haarlem’s Next Top Model Cat!!!

Other times he gave directions to the model himself:

“Like this, Guust? Holding up my scarf?”

And here he is checking out the background. That there are no illegal ants walking through the image that would ruin the picture and so on.

Even during his last week, he was busy as an assistant-project manager. His second-mother Saskya was preparing an event at home and Guust was closely monitoring her progress.

Again, those perfectly aligned feet. Nope, Guust was not a sloppy cat.

He received a beautiful farewell. Nepalese music was played, incense was burnt, candles were lit…. Wrapped in a soft blanket in a basket. And finally buried in the forest, nearby where he lead his life.

Guust, you were the best! You brought so much love and joy; you will be missed…

R.I.P. my darling, R.I.P. xxxxxxxxxxxxx