Fancy Cat was struck by a vehicle on Christopher Ave. early on July 28, 2004. JK was notified by the person responsible, then I got a call from RS. She asked me if I would go get Fancy out of the road, since they were both in DC at the time and I was a mere 50 yards away. So I went out and scooped up the poor thing. It was literally the saddest sight you'd ever see: he was just lying there with his eyes closed; his body slightly curled up. It was pooring down rain and there was a steady stream washing away some of the blood from around his head. I had on my thickest gloves; I didn't know how bad he's been wounded, so I was prepared for the worst. He was still 100% intact; I scooped him into the plastic bags, brought him back to JK's porch, tied it up really well and went to work.
Later in the day, RS called me and invited me to his impromptu funeral, which was to be held at JK's parent's house. JK dug a hole in the back yard by the bushes, brought us all out and ad-libbed a eulogy. His voice quivered at first but he quickly gained composure. His faced was pained; he was really hurting. We got in a circle and each of us offered a prayer for/to Fancy. Mike and Daniella were there, JK's second floor neighbors. They practically took care of Mr. Fancy while JK was in DC; Fancy Cat would sleep over at their condo almost every day. Sometimes he's even sleep over at my place — and he'd come visit me at least once a week. I'd pick him up, hold him in my arms and cradle him like a newborn. He'd just stare back at me with those big yellow/green eyes of his... He used to love it when I scratched his cheeks... he wasn't the loudest purrer, but he could meow as loud as any cat. Whenever he was preparing to jump onto something, he'd always let out this little stifled 'mreow!' as he lept. Fancy Cat. Fancy Britches. The Best Cat Ever.
He wasn't just any normal animal. And he was so polite. Mature for his young age. (JK estimates that he was born in Apr 2002.) Even at the dinner table, when my plate would be heaping with freshly cooked salmon and eggs, Mr. Fancy would sit on the floor around me, letting me pet him while I ate. Of course I would save him a morsel or two, and watch him savor every lick. Whenever he'd come over, I'd always make a point of giving him affection as he walked through the door. And I'd almost always give him a little pet when he wanted to leave. It's true that many people took care of Fancy, but it wasn't a one way street — he took care of us just as much as we did him. And as JK said over dinner tonight, "Fancy brought us together, introduced me to you guys [pointing to Mike and Daniella], deepened my relationship with RS. And Matt, thanks for being there this morning...you're a hero." I told him, "I just wish that it could've been something else that brought us all together this evening. Anything else."