Elvis the most perfect cat
No one is perfect, but Elvis was very close to being the perfect cat.
He loved people. And that included every single volunteer and every person who ever came to the farm.
He was so gentle. Never a scratch or a bite ever happened with Elvis.
His signature move was nicknamed “the dolphin.” He wouldn’t rub up against you like most cats, instead he would come over and give a little hop as a way to say I need some loving right now.
Being a barn cat, Elvis had free range of the farm. This didn’t interest him much, he stayed very close to home and we could always find him in his favourite resting spots. Every day when I spotted him, it would bring a smile to my face at how relaxed and perfectly at home he was. He loved the barn life, but did eventually decide that he wanted to be a house cat during the day. This was again because he loved people and he knew the house would be full of love and attention for our beloved boy.
We knew Elvis had limited time. In May, Elvis was diagnosed with a hepatic mass on his liver. It was classified as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The only treatment is surgical removal which did not have a good prognosis for recovery in cats.
I prepared that his time to cross over would come when I was away which was so difficult to think about. The day did come when I had just boarded the ferry on a 16 hour sail from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. During the sail, cell coverage was hit and miss. I’ll never forget when my phone beeped with messages that were just able to come through because of some wifi coverage at a lighthouse we were passing. One of the messages was from Jill. Before I left I told her to let me know even if I was on holiday. The text read “today would be the day” (Tuesday, July 19). I have been there for every single animal crossing over. This was the very first time I wasn’t. If it was just my holiday, I would have cancelled. But it was a trip planned with my husband.
Thank you to Dr. Machine for coming to the farm to make his crossing over at his home with his peeps.
There is a lot of heart ache with Elvis passing. He was typically the first one to greet you when you came to the farm and his absence is deeply felt. There are so many people who deeply care about him.
Elvis and all the volunteers were in my thoughts on my time away. I am never away from the farm. It is always a part of me.
We’ve lost Vanilla Bean, Misto and Elvis these past few months. We will need to hold a special time for them at the farm as a community. In their memory and honour, we need to find a new home asap. Our new permanent home will be their final resting place where we can spread their ashes along with all the others who are gone way too soon.