I’d left him in the back of my car, the teddy bear, whose name is “kompisen” (“the friend,” in Swedish) after Jack died. Jack brought that (flattened) teddy bear with him everywhere, carried him in his teeth—he came with us to Runmarö, Sweden, back to NYC, to Sharon, High Falls, Kerkonkson, and Granby. We never lost him, like we lost so many other things, because, again, Jack carried him in his teeth. His one and only object, and all he ever packed when we went anywhere. He did this, with Kompisen, often, this kneading thing, and the other adorable thing Jack always did was the “water dance,” which was that he sort of danced when he drank water. I of course have videos of this too. I shot this video maybe 10 days before Jack died.
Here's a loosely related cat story. On a scale of 1 to 10, my aunt's adoration level of her cats is 11. When one of them died, she buried him in the backyard, like you. Some time passed. One day an unfamiliar cat appeared on her doorstep, apparently lost or in search of a home.
In its mouth was the collar of her buried cat. He'd dug it up from her backyard. She believes it was her prior cat reincarnated, and that seems about right to me. After she confirmed this cat didn't have a home, she adopted it, of course.
I can relate. My son had a catastrophic illness from infancy to adulthood. He had a special stuffed toy called "LeMutt" which went everywhere with him along with his favorite "blankie." Even as he grew into his teen years with all that angst, his calming came from those two items which he concealed in a pillowcase. Now he is an adult, surviving against all odds, he still has the two items. They comfort him just knowing they are in his home. Good mental health comes from accepting comfort in whatever form works! The teddy bear is such a comfort. I love it! Thanks for sharing
Never liked stuffed animals, but my most recent dog does. She has her favorites as I have never seen an animal such as your jack carry his around nor my Millie hide her from four legged houseguests who tear stuffed animals to shreds...
Thank you for sharing a loving sentimenal moment. We all miss our loved ones...
these are the moments we were born for. have some of my own, mostly dog, but some cat as well. when my husband died, there was a bunch of about 7 feral cats in the yard. every time i looked out the window there they were. they followed me on the outside where i was inside. of course then they were fed, and little by little became more confident, and now there are only 2 left, and no more babies....
Hush my heart Celia. This is the most beautiful, precious thing. It’s pure love. I lost my precious cat (orange tabby)Tony after 16 years...I held his paw when he was put down. Now I have another baby that looks like Lewis (grey tabby). Thank you for sharing. It made my day, truly. I don’t call them fur angels for nothing...precious.
So sweet. Makes me recall our rabbit and his fave stuffed friend rabbit. Also a dog pet from my past who had a fave stuffed toy....a rabbit too, come to think of it. Tender recollections. Treasured memories.
Thank you for reminding of how beautiful and true love can be, and how it takes so many forms. True love is kind, it is honest, it is righteous... and selfless - despite the darkness of nature, we can choose to embody the higher love - thank you Celia... happy Valentine's to us all here. ^^
I'm reminded somehow of the story called "the ax of my grand father." A man has an axe to cut down wood. He uses it all his life. When he dies of old age, the axe is inherited by his son, who continues to use it. One day, the handle of the axe breaks apart. The new owner gets a new handle and ataches it to the old axe head. It's still his father's axe. A long time passes, and he dies and the axe gets to his son, who continues to use it. One day, the axe head breaks. The new owner, the grandson, gets a new axe head an attaches it to the axe handle. It is still his grandfather's axe. And so on, and so on.
This is one of those old paradoxes from Ancient Greece.
It is not the same axe, but it is the same axe, in a sense.
The cat Lewis is not the same cat as the cat Jack, but he is the same, in a sense. All cats are the same cat. Or all cats have the same catness. And the same goes for Kompisen. All teddy bears share the same teddyness. They are used in the same ways by different users. They are the same and not the same.
The essence is more important than the appearances.
Humans always feel the continuity of the essence of things. That's good, even if it hurts a bit.
oh dear, our cat Little who we took in when he was 6, arrived with his security toy, a cow doll. when he carries it in his teeth, he has to walk with his paws sort of bow legged to avoid tripping over the cow as it drags on the floor and he cries the whole time until he puts his cow down near us and starts kneading it. sometimes he carries into our bed when he snuggles up to sleep between us.
i'd never seen a cat do such a thing before but apparently, you have.
our baby cat T has those flopping fish toys. when i'm working out in my 3rd floor gym, he will run up the stairs with the fish in his mouth, stare at me (T has big round crazy eyes) and drop the fish down before me.
then he proceeds to kiss and nuzzle me as i exercise on the floor.
Thank you for this lovely and loving story. As a cat and animal lover, this really touched my heart. Major thanks for the video clip of your beloved with his best friend.
Well, my story doesn’t have anything to do with a cat, but it does have something to do with a lovely teddy bear my 32 year-old son had since he was born ...when he was two years old, he was shaking the teddy bear in his when he was in his crib and he called it “Bocky” He took it everywhere with him until he started school.
After my son left home, I kept Bocky snuggled between my books up on top of my wardrobe. He has been sitting up for a while now and all of a sudden one night, he just keeled forward and hit the floor.
Right away, I thought “BRADEN!!!!” ...Worried that something had happened to my son..the next day I found out Braden was diagnosed with myocarditis (after ignoring, my pleas to stay away from the Jabs) WHY did the teddy bear fall after sitting up there for some time?? I knew something was wrong....Coincidences are God’s way of saying anonymous.
Here's a loosely related cat story. On a scale of 1 to 10, my aunt's adoration level of her cats is 11. When one of them died, she buried him in the backyard, like you. Some time passed. One day an unfamiliar cat appeared on her doorstep, apparently lost or in search of a home.
In its mouth was the collar of her buried cat. He'd dug it up from her backyard. She believes it was her prior cat reincarnated, and that seems about right to me. After she confirmed this cat didn't have a home, she adopted it, of course.
I can relate. My son had a catastrophic illness from infancy to adulthood. He had a special stuffed toy called "LeMutt" which went everywhere with him along with his favorite "blankie." Even as he grew into his teen years with all that angst, his calming came from those two items which he concealed in a pillowcase. Now he is an adult, surviving against all odds, he still has the two items. They comfort him just knowing they are in his home. Good mental health comes from accepting comfort in whatever form works! The teddy bear is such a comfort. I love it! Thanks for sharing
They just somehow know.
Glad you kept Kompisen!
There is a reason to tell these stories, Celia: to celebrate life and love. What better reason could there be?
love is everywhere (thank goodness). and you are so good at spotting it... and making a cozy space for it. thank you.
makes me cry. oh my god.
Never liked stuffed animals, but my most recent dog does. She has her favorites as I have never seen an animal such as your jack carry his around nor my Millie hide her from four legged houseguests who tear stuffed animals to shreds...
Thank you for sharing a loving sentimenal moment. We all miss our loved ones...
these are the moments we were born for. have some of my own, mostly dog, but some cat as well. when my husband died, there was a bunch of about 7 feral cats in the yard. every time i looked out the window there they were. they followed me on the outside where i was inside. of course then they were fed, and little by little became more confident, and now there are only 2 left, and no more babies....
Hush my heart Celia. This is the most beautiful, precious thing. It’s pure love. I lost my precious cat (orange tabby)Tony after 16 years...I held his paw when he was put down. Now I have another baby that looks like Lewis (grey tabby). Thank you for sharing. It made my day, truly. I don’t call them fur angels for nothing...precious.
So sweet. Makes me recall our rabbit and his fave stuffed friend rabbit. Also a dog pet from my past who had a fave stuffed toy....a rabbit too, come to think of it. Tender recollections. Treasured memories.
Thank you for reminding of how beautiful and true love can be, and how it takes so many forms. True love is kind, it is honest, it is righteous... and selfless - despite the darkness of nature, we can choose to embody the higher love - thank you Celia... happy Valentine's to us all here. ^^
I'm reminded somehow of the story called "the ax of my grand father." A man has an axe to cut down wood. He uses it all his life. When he dies of old age, the axe is inherited by his son, who continues to use it. One day, the handle of the axe breaks apart. The new owner gets a new handle and ataches it to the old axe head. It's still his father's axe. A long time passes, and he dies and the axe gets to his son, who continues to use it. One day, the axe head breaks. The new owner, the grandson, gets a new axe head an attaches it to the axe handle. It is still his grandfather's axe. And so on, and so on.
This is one of those old paradoxes from Ancient Greece.
It is not the same axe, but it is the same axe, in a sense.
The cat Lewis is not the same cat as the cat Jack, but he is the same, in a sense. All cats are the same cat. Or all cats have the same catness. And the same goes for Kompisen. All teddy bears share the same teddyness. They are used in the same ways by different users. They are the same and not the same.
The essence is more important than the appearances.
Humans always feel the continuity of the essence of things. That's good, even if it hurts a bit.
oh dear, our cat Little who we took in when he was 6, arrived with his security toy, a cow doll. when he carries it in his teeth, he has to walk with his paws sort of bow legged to avoid tripping over the cow as it drags on the floor and he cries the whole time until he puts his cow down near us and starts kneading it. sometimes he carries into our bed when he snuggles up to sleep between us.
i'd never seen a cat do such a thing before but apparently, you have.
our baby cat T has those flopping fish toys. when i'm working out in my 3rd floor gym, he will run up the stairs with the fish in his mouth, stare at me (T has big round crazy eyes) and drop the fish down before me.
then he proceeds to kiss and nuzzle me as i exercise on the floor.
they are the most wonderful creatures!
Thank you for this lovely and loving story. As a cat and animal lover, this really touched my heart. Major thanks for the video clip of your beloved with his best friend.
❤️❤️❤️
That's the sweetest story... 😢
Well, my story doesn’t have anything to do with a cat, but it does have something to do with a lovely teddy bear my 32 year-old son had since he was born ...when he was two years old, he was shaking the teddy bear in his when he was in his crib and he called it “Bocky” He took it everywhere with him until he started school.
After my son left home, I kept Bocky snuggled between my books up on top of my wardrobe. He has been sitting up for a while now and all of a sudden one night, he just keeled forward and hit the floor.
Right away, I thought “BRADEN!!!!” ...Worried that something had happened to my son..the next day I found out Braden was diagnosed with myocarditis (after ignoring, my pleas to stay away from the Jabs) WHY did the teddy bear fall after sitting up there for some time?? I knew something was wrong....Coincidences are God’s way of saying anonymous.