One of the minor disappointments with getting piled on a year ago is that I now tend to second-guess many of my blog posts. Will someone run with the worst interpretation, ready to repost without context? This leads to watering down drafts, sometimes editing them into vague pointlessness.
Rhaedar was my bud — followed me from room to room during the day, snuggled up with me while I read, demanded lap time, slept many nights curled up against my stomach. When I picked him up, he’d rest his paws on my shoulder and lean his head into my neck. He was a total sweetie — I can’t recall ever hearing him hiss, and he almost never growled. His open affection more than made up for all the ways he could be a gigantic pain in the ass.
September 2024 — hanging out up close and personal
He was extremely stubborn and opinionated (and as a half-Siamese cat, vocal about it!). He would poutily demand exactly what he wanted until he got it, giving me a Look if I offered the wrong option. If he wanted my chair, he would sulk until I ceded it to him or shamelessly steal it if I got up for a minute. We had a monthslong battle of wills when I attempted to change his litter, then he refused to go back to the old litter, and we finally reached an accord after testing out at least two other brands.
October 2025 — sphinxing in the window
When he was a young cat, we thought he had about two brain cells to rub together — but over the years we came to admire his cleverness (especially where it came to food). He figured out that he could tilt an empty cat food can in the recycle bin at just the right angle so he could gingerly grasp the lip of the can between his teeth and lift it out to eat any bits we hadn’t rinsed. My husband and I had an ongoing debate about whether or not he knew his name, which we tested by calling him “Hot Dog!” in ‘the cat voice’ to see how he reacted… but then Hot Dog became a nickname 😜
May 2012 — first day home
The butter dish was his ultimate prize. He could open the door to the pantry, but couldn’t climb or jump the shelves high enough — so instead, he moved his quest upwards. He’d climb on top of the fridge and reeeeeach around the fire extinguisher mounted on the wall to grab the edge of the cabinet door, and attempt to fling it open. (There’s no way he could have made the jump into the cabinet from the fridge, but still 😂) Upstairs, we’d hear a telltale thunk. thunk. thunk. of the door opening and closing when he was on a campaign.
September 2019 — attempted butter thief — note the elaborate system of rubber bands to keep him out after the childproof latch failed — we moved the butter into the pantry after this
He was rapacious for plastic bags, so we lived a life of constant vigilance against plastic film and bubble wrap. (One of his multiple emergency trips was to remove some plastic film sticking out of his butt 🤦♀️) If we forgot to lock the garbage can, he could bump the lid with his head enough to wriggle partway in and claw out desirable items (like plastic bags and butter wrappers). Then he figured out that the lock didn’t work very well, and if he knocked over the trash can sometimes the lock would fail and delicious garbage would spill all over the kitchen floor 🦝 I can now detect the sound of plastic being chewed from any room in the house 😆 If I was taking too long to feed him, he’d chew on the overwrap for the cat food cans because he knew I’d come running 😅
April 2026 — sunbathing by the front window
A few years ago, I got him a plush shark toy that he absolutely adored. In the evenings, he’d have a rush of energy, and meowl so excitedly he’d shift octaves. I noticed that he would often bring the shark toy upstairs to my office door and started reinforcing the behavior by rewarding him with tons of pets and verbal affection every time he did it, then offering to play with him — so he learned that he could bring me the shark toy whenever he wanted attention 🥰
July 2023 — he liked to lounge in bed together in the mornings, and I liked to indulge him
Recently, I got into a habit of going to collect him at bedtime so we could get some good snuggle time in. I’d go find him downstairs and walk him over to the stairs, then wave for him to follow me up. He’d climb to the landing, then rub his chin against the staircase while he considered whether or not he wanted to come. I’d crouch at the top of the stairs and open my arms for him, saying his name, and he’d sprint up into them 💓
I know every cat is special, but man, Rhaedar was special. His big personality is sorely missed — the house feels empty without him.
⚽️ I've never been a big fan of the USMNT (I'm a full on supporter of the USWNT!). I'm still not a fan of USMNT, specially after their red card "suspension". I feel like their result against Belgium was what they deserved.
