My wonderful cat Leon is gone. It's been really hard for me. I've never been one to cry over my pets (not even when my childhood bunny of six years died) but I have been sobbing my eyes out a few nights over Leon. I know he's gone. Unfortunately, as much as I would like to deny it, I think that he got eaten by coyotes. They have been prowling our neighborhood lately. Breaks my heart. I saw one the other night and I had a feeling that's what happened. I feel so bad!
He was the coolest cat!! We only had him for 9 months but he joined our family with gusto. He was so good and tolerant with the kids. Not just tolerant, but he enjoyed being with them. If they would be running around making noise, he would come see what all the commotion was. Most cats (like Eva) would run and hide.
He would greet visitors to our house whether they enjoyed it or not. He got to know all the neighbors. In fact, several of them told me he has been in their homes!
He was very affectionate. What first made us want to adopt him is when we he came out of his cage he started rubbing against us, purring, and even drooling. He would drool whenever he was really happy. Usually at least once a day he would come up to me for some affection. He'd put his paws on my chest and just start drooling and purring, and would just sit back in utter happiness as I stroked him.
He slept with us a lot of nights at the foot of our bed. The last morning he was with us Jason told me he pulled him up near him before he got out of bed and cuddled for a few minutes. Jason said he was feeling a little down, but felt happy just from stroking Leon.
Leon was very fascinated by water. Whenever I would take a bath he would sit on the edge of the tub and stare at the bubbles, occasionally dipping his paw in the water. He loved to rub against our wet legs after a bath or shower. I know, a bit yucky but I miss it.
He was very confident. He would strut around our house and neighborhood. He knew he was the alpha male. Him and Eva got along well, but every once in a while he would kick her out of a spot if he wanted it. There was another black cat that used to come around but Leon defended he and Eva's territory and we don't see that black cat any more.
He was a hunter. That's the one thing I really hated. I didn't blog about this because I didn't want to gross people out, but he caught a lot of animals. He was very fast and all muscle. I wish we got video of his jumping ability. He could jump several feet straight up in the air, and do flips. That's probably how he caught all the birds. I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that he caught at least 100 critters this summer:birds, mice, bunnies (that was the worse), a duckling (I managed to rescue that one), a few chipmunks and who knows what else. He would usually bring it to the door step. A few times he brought it in the house. I REALLY freaked out then.
But he did eventually get the hint that I didn't enjoy it too much. Last week he brought a bird to the door. I opened it and said "YUCKY LEON!"A few minutes later I looked out and saw he had dumped the bird in the flower pot where I wouldn't see it. He would never eat his prey. But he would definitely play with it. Sometimes he'd play with it for a good while before he put it out of it's misery. Then he might still play with it after he died. As much as I hated the dead animals, a little tiny part of me was proud that he was such a good hunter, and even a tinier part was flattered that he brought me what he thought was wonderful gifts. After a hunt he'd come in and eat his food (ironic, I know) and then take a big nap.
This may sound weird, but the fact that he killed so many animals consoles me a little bit about the fact that he got hunted eventually. It's just the cycle of life, and he chose to participate in it. I tried to keep him an indoor cat but he chose to live the outdoor life. He brought it on himself.
Anyway, despite being a hunter, he was so friendly and gentle with people. He loved to just hang out with us whether indoors or outdoors. He was so gentle with Audrey. He had all his claws, but never used them on people. Well, the only time he did was when he would attack my feet under the covers. He just thought it was something moving, not my feet.
He loved to explore new places and find new places to sleep in. If we had a pile of clothes to fold, he would make it his bed. When it was hot this summer he would sprawl out on the cool floor or just lay on his back sprawled out to cool off. He really liked Audrey's changing table and the boys bunk bed. But our room was where he liked to sleep best.
I will miss him so much. Eva misses him too I think. I want to get another cat to fill the giant hole in my heart but I know we'll never find one as great as him!
Here are some of my favorite pictures of him:
Pumpkin cheesecake
Cranberry walnut rolls
Sweet potatoes
Apple Pie. I hadn't made a pie in over a year since my cuisinart broke, but I braved making it by hand and it still turned out delicious.
James helping me whip the cream
The beautiful table
Mommy and baby and doll
Audrey wasn't feeling very good so she did a lot of snuggling. She loves to snuggle with Grandpa Henrikson.
Enjoying their dinner
Grandma with Jason and boys
Audrey getting some tastes of pie from Aunt Jenna
This is Uncle Art, Jason's great uncle. He is such a fun, sweet man
Diane, Tom, and Michelle holding Audrey. We had a great time visiting and Audrey had a great time being the center of attention. 
