This week we mourn the end of a 15-year bro-mance that spanned two generations of men in my life and one spirited cat.
Not long after I began dating my husband, I learned that he came as a package deal. Any future with this new beau would have to include Callie, Starbuck, and Rory — his cats. I will admit to pausing briefly to consider the reasons a seemingly normal man in his 30s would choose to live with three cats. Years of reading Garfield comics did not exactly help me warm to the single male cat owner.
The endearing way he looked after them overcame my hesitations. I cast the stereotypes aside and went all in. I even anted up and got a cat of my own. The romance blossomed until one year later we became a blended household of six — four cats and their two humans.
It was still in the early days for our romance when I realized Mike’s relationship with his cats was a two-way street far closer to Calvin and Hobbes than bumbling Jon Arbuckle and the sarcastic Garfield.
Of his three furry housemates, the only male was Starbuck. He was startlingly thin and jet black with flashing yellow eyes, I likened him to a panther whose goofy tendencies lacked the stealth of his jungle cousins. He was often called “Bug” due to his pesky knack for being exactly where you didn’t want him to be. It wasn’t his fault; he just really wanted to be near people.
One of Starbuck’s favorite pastimes was hanging out in high places. His favorite “trick” was appear out of nowhere when Mike walked into the room — often by dropping onto Mike’s shoulders moments after arriving home from work. Mike would yelp and swat, Bug would run down his back, then return seconds later to receive a halfhearted scolding followed by a begrudging pat on the head.
When our first son was born, Starbuck hit the jackpot. He loved attention and was eager for physical interaction but drew the line at being held. As soon as he was aware of his surroundings, our son reached for the lanky cat’s flicking tail and an instant bond was formed. By the time he was 3 ½, Shaun wanted to be a cat more often than he wanted to be a human boy.
When infant Shaun started to roll, Starbuck would position himself on the floor to be squished. Shaun was delighted to steamroll over his friend and Starbuck soaked it up. It is a wonder Starbuck kept his tail through both boys’ toddler years after the number of times he let it get caught. But, he did and he always came back for more. It always seemed that the boys wrestling relaxed him the way you might melt at the touch of a massage therapist.
Earlier this year we noticed Starbuck, always borderline underweight, was thinner and having trouble with his back legs. The vet said he was exhibiting normal signs of aging. Six months later Starbuck could no longer walk across a room without a rest. His weight plummeted. Until the end he sought attention from Mike and the boys. He perked up every day when they came crashing through the door around 5 in the evening. In his last days, when his pain was clearly constant, he relished every rough pat and head scratch the boys offered.
Cats are frequently viewed as solitary and aloof. If you go looking for sweet sayings about pets and friendship, you’ll find far more sayings about dogs than you will about cats. However, Bill Waterson, who captured our hearts with the friendship between a boy and his stuffed tiger, may have said it best when he wrote, “If you can find even one person you really like, you’re lucky. And if that person can also stand you, you’re really lucky.”
Mike really liked his cat and his cat really liked him, and then really liked his family, and for that we have all been really lucky.
Ginger steamed cod
It may be cliche, but it seems only right to honor the passing of our cat with a fish dish. He was partial to canned tuna but I’m sure he would approve of this ginger-steamed cod as a slightly more formal alternative.
If you have been subjected to lackluster steamed vegetables, steaming may sound more like a punishment than a way to make healthy eating fun. With a little practice you will discover steaming is one of the easiest methods for cooking healthy food. When you use flavorful cooking liquids you will find even the simplest ingredients become vibrant, tender and full of flavor.
This is one of my favorite quick and easy cod recipes. An aromatic bath of Asian-inspired ingredients infuses normally mild cod fish with dynamic flavor.
4 (6 ounce) pieces of cod (may substitute other firm white fish)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons mirin, sweet cooking rice seasoning
2 tablespoons lime juice, juice of approximately 1 lime
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger root
Optional: lime zest for garnish
Pat the fish dry. Arrange on a plate then lightly sprinkle both sides with salt. Set fish aside.
In a large skillet with a lid, combine the liquid ingredients with the grated ginger then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Add the fish to the pan top side down, cook for 2 minutes then flip.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook covered for 6-8 minutes until the fish is tender and flaky. Actual cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish. The fillets are cooked when the meat is no longer translucent in the center.
Prep: 10 minutes; cook: 10 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving*: 206 calories, 1.4g fat, 611mg sodium, 4.5g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 3.6g sugar, 39g protein
* The numbers provided are for the recipe ingredients as written, you will not consume all of the added ingredients unless you use them as a sauce. The actual consumed calories, sodium, sugar, etc will be lower. As always these values are offered for use in estimation, not as medical advice.
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