Nip and Tuck - Part 2 - Our Aussie Adventure

So here we are, all in Australia and finally together after months and months of planning and stress.

As most cats are, they were very cautious at first.  Tuck was always the more outgoing cat, but eventually Nip came around and started to explore her surroundings with more and more confidence.

I was living with Mum and Dad after my arrival and they had a beautiful dog called Jake.  Jake had grown up with cats and was always quite curious about mine.  Because there were pretty much identical, and Nip did not make herself known very much, we were convinced that Jake thought there was only one cat.  One day Nip came out into the living room when Tuck was already there. Jake looked like he was watching a tennis match, his head pivoting back and forth, confusion written all over his furry little face.  He looked at us as if to say 'What?  There's TWO?'.

Guess which was which?

When I moved in with Shawn, Nip and Tuck had to get used to yet another change.  They were pros by this time and took it in their stride.  It took Shawn a bit longer.  He has allergies, but he knew that we were a package deal - who is going to spend a fortune in time and money to fly their cats across the globe only to abandon them? Certainly not me.

Nip, being Nip, never really liked anyone but me.  She had perfected the best 'F... You' look directed at Shawn whenever he walked into the room.  She never did anything to him, just gave him the look (she was a girl, after all, and we are genetically good at those looks!).  Tuck and Shawn formed a fast friendship though, and were definitely buddies.  Tuck was a talker - loud and proud - and I would often hear Shawn having a little conversation with Tuck.  He even fed Tuck from the table, which he swore he would never do.  Cats are like that - manipulative.

'Whatcha eating?

Nip and Tuck got used to the kids coming around and had no problem with it.  And then we got Rover.  Rover was a baby cockatiel and boy, did she rule the roost (again, I'll point out....female!).  The cats didn't know what to make of her, and she used to chase them off their cat food if she wanted to eat some, with the bounce of her little yellow head and a vicious hiss.  Poor cats, it really was quite embarrassing.

'Go away Nip, it's my food.'

This was one of the reasons that we used to call them the 'Ornamental Cats'.  Not only did they never attack the bird, we found a green tree snake in our house one time that they had let slither all the way into the bedroom.  Certainly not like Clawde, who is well-known for his unfortunate snake wrangling talents.  The poor cats never did quite get the hang of being 'cats', and they did not help keep the mouse and rat population down in that house or on our acreage.

Surviving the addition of the bird, we eventually tested them by adopting two older Rhodesian Ridgebacks - Polly and Askhim.  They were the most beautifully natured dogs, and fit into our family immediately like they were meant to be there (and they were).  Nip and Tuck were a bit scared at first, and we kept the dogs out of our bedroom so that the cats had a sanctuary.  Askhim, filled with curiosity, would often be laying outside the bedroom door, hoping to get a glimpse.  Eventually they got used to each other and cohabitated very nicely.  Tuck even became friends with them...Nip not so much.  There were no fights or aggression though, just indifference on her part.

Polly & Nip



Tuck was always a bit of a bastard to his sister - typical brother - and after her death we adopted Clawde from an animal rescue organisation.  Clawde was about 9 months when we got him and full of beans - desperate to play and make friends with Tuck.  I like to think Clawde was a bit of karma for how Tuck used to treat Nip (and in true karma fashion, Clawde ended up with Purrkins - the circle of cat revenge was complete!).

A little bit of karma aka Clawde

The two cats had an affinity for boxes, Tuck especially.  Any box was his haven.  Even if it was much too small for him, he would still squish into it, furry fat rolls hanging over the side as he purred and looked content.  There were always boxes scattered around the house, and always two shoeboxes in the bedroom that they liked to sleep in.  It is my eternal disappointment that Clawde and Purrkins aren't that keen on boxes.

Nip had a favourite toy in Canada - a small stuffed fabric mouse called Miss Mousey.  Nip would carry that toy into whatever room I was in, announcing herself loudly.  This toy was so treasured that I brought it with me to Australia.  She picked up right where she left off and still loved it until the day she died.  There wasn't much left of it after 17 or 18 years - just a bit of grey fabric with no stuffing in it, no ears or eyes and definitely no tail.  We had to be careful that it wasn't mistaken for garbage and thrown out - I'm not sure what she would have done.  It was so special to her that we buried it with her in our back yard.

To say I miss them every day is an understatement.  I don't miss them to the point where I can't function, but they do pop into my thoughts or something will remind me of them.  Tuck used to sleep on my pillow above my head, and for years after his death I would reach up in my sleep to touch him.  I like to think he still hangs out there and that Nip is still giving Shawn the 'F... You' look at every opportunity.

Tuck drinking out of the dog water bucket.

Nip - I wonder what she would say to Shawn?

Their deaths were hard - probably the most difficult pet deaths I have had to go through to date.  Nip was tough, but she went first and I still had Tuck.  Tuck was last, and his death hit harder than I could have imagined.  His departure felt like the last thread connecting me to a large part of my former life was broken.  These cats were with me through so many changes in my life - just think how much you change from your 20's to your 40's - and were loving and constant entities.  They literally and figuratively saved my life when I was full of despair and hopeless and gave me joy when I felt there was none.  Everyone that knew me knew Nip and Tuck, and they were my heart.  Time does heal all wounds and we move on.  New pets come into our lives, and the heart has an infinite capacity to love new ones while still honouring the old ones.

Miss you Nip and Tuck.  See you on the other side.