It is with sadness that I have to announce the death of Marvin the Garbage Cat. :(
When he first got here, he took every opportunity he could to hide and then bolt out the second the door opened. We have a large outdoor enclosure for the cats that they can access from a window in the house, but that wasn't enough for him, and he even managed to bust through the wire of it a few times to make his escape.
Whenever he got out, he would make his way up the road to a campground and hang out with the campers there. He had tags on, so I was called a few times to come and get him. I tried my hardest to keep him in so he wouldn't be a pest, but it isn't always easy with 3 kids going in and out all the time.
In the fall the campers would leave, and Marvin slowed down a lot during the winter. He didn't really try to go out at all. I figured his age was catching up with him as he was already quite old when I rescued him. He hung out in the kitchen almost 24/7 taking every opportunity he could to try to steal our meals off our plates, tear into packages of food we had foolishly left out, and get into the trash. He was super laid back and chilled out, and always came over to check out my garbage treasures, usually sitting and sleeping on them. This was Marvin's signature "stamp of approval".
On the weekend we had guests over, and during all the in's and out's, Marvin probably escaped. It was a beautiful sunny and warm weekend, so I didn't really blame him for wanting to go out to enjoy it. Nobody saw how or when, but at one point, we noticed there was no Marvin trying to steal our food at dinner time.
Our guests left and there was still no Marvin to be found. I was waiting for the call from the campground, but after 2 days, I still heard nothing. I had to go out to run an errand, and when I was coming back home, I saw something no pet owner wants to see. As I came down the road to the house, I saw Marvin at the side of the road. He had been hit by a car on his way back home. :(
I feel horrible and guilty about it. I can only hope it was instant and that his last few days were his best as he enjoyed lying in the grass with the warm sun coming down on him.
Rest in Peace Marvin. I'm sorry it ended for you like this. Enjoy scouring that big garbage dump in the sky.
Marvin approving of a toy garage I brought home from a garbage pile.
Hug your fur friends tight.
