Sunday, June 15, 2008

Linus Flynn: 2005-2008


We lost a member of our family today. And although he wasn't human, he was a special part of it.
We first met Linus the cat when we lived in an apartment between selling our old house and building our new one. A scared, shy kitten, Linus was soon the hit of the apartment complex, garnering affection and food from most everyone.
When we got ready to move in October 2005, our landlord told us if we didn't take him he'd send him to the pound. And even though we already had three indoor cats, my husband and I agreed we could use an outdoor cat since our new house has a field (and field mice) all around it.
We named our new family member Linus because that was Stephen's pick. My dear husband is in the IT field, and since thought Linus (after the founder of Linux) would suit him.
Linus fit in well with our family, bringing us the occasional mouse or mole and loving all over us when we were outdoors with him. He even taught my son, Nathan, his first taste of responsibility -- Nathan loved getting a shovel and taking Linus food.
Linus was a smart cat, too. He soon figured out he could jiggle the door knob to let us know he was home and hungry.
Today we found him under a neighbor's tree, hit by a car. He had drug himself by his front legs as far as he could and couldn't quite make him home. That tree is directly across the street from the end of our driveway. I think Linus was smart enough to know that we'd see him and take him home from there.
Rest in peace, my orange friend. We'll miss you more than you'll ever know.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This picture is making me sad. Poor Linus.

Star NIE Director Jennifer Greenway said...

I am sorry about Linus. I know how sad it can be to lose a beloved kitty.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry about the loss of Linus. Pets are truly a part of the family.