Dumbass Til The End

Nicholas (Nikki) NickerBocker Black
August 23, 2002
to
August 26, 2005

So, I'm sitting in the chair in the living room, reading a book. Nikki starts yowling like he sees another cat outside - and I lean forward to see if I can see him sitting at the front door. I don't see him, but I see G (my other cat) looking in the kitchen. I call Nikki, and he stops yowling. A few seconds later, I hear this noise like he is trying to get into the broiler tray, so I get up to see what the hell he is doing.
He's laying in front of the stove, completely limp, his mouth wide open - I look (thinking he's choking) and his entire tongue is blue, and swollen so badly that I can't even move it to try to free his pathway. I start crying and calling his name - and I can still feel him purring for a second - then nothing. I, quite naturally, lose it - but he's so limp that I know - there's not a thing I can do for him. I'm sitting on the floor next to him, and I hear a buzzing sound. I look under him, and there is a live yellowjacket under his paw. I'm guessing that he tried to play with it/eat it - and it stung him repeatedly inside of his mouth & his tongue. I'm thinking that the yowl was when he was first stung, and the sound of him trying to get into the oven was actually him thrashing around trying to breathe.

I'm going to bury him in the yard today - I would have done it last night, but we don't even own a shovel.

I'm really going to miss my little dumbass, lovebug of a kitty with the tail that was longer than he was. My nickerbocker, nickkyhead, silly boy, with the silly snaggletooth grin, and the hopeless addiction to catnip and the deep and abiding love for warm laps and fingers with nails.

May the field be full of catnip
May you always be full
May there be no loud sounds
And may there be many good chinscratchers.

Be Well, Beloved Nikki