"Stonington Residences Doug and Tangae" 8x10 oil on copper sold. Thank you.
"Spring in Stonington" 8x10 oil on copper. Sold. Thank you.
Dundee, the Orange Maine Coon Cat of Stonington. Last photo of him.
I was visiting Stonington a few days ago and visited Elmer and his cat Dundee.
Over the last many years I have enjoyed visiting with both of them. Dundee would greet me
with such joy. He would wave his tail and come running to me. I always felt happy when I
saw Dundee. I would bring Dundee cat toys sometimes. I would sit on the ground a wave
a cat fishing rod with various toys at the end of the fish line. Dundee may have been 10 years
old at that time. He was not a kitten but he made an effort to show appreciation. Elmer
would find us on the ground playing and laugh. Elmer was accustomed to finding people outside
his bookstore petting, talking, or playing with Dundee. Dundee loved it. Elmer loved it too.
I loved Dundee. I was sad to see how thin Dundee had become.
On a recent visit Dundee greeted me but ran to high grass to try to hide his face. I sat near him
watching him. He looked sick. I visited again and asked Elmer about Dundee. He told me he had
not eaten in three days. He was worried. I asked if he had taken him to the vet? "No," he said because
his driver had both legs amputated and could not drive him any more. I volunteered to take them both
to the vet. After a few hours the vet agreed to see us. Off we all went to the vet. The vet xrayed Dundee's
foot and found Sarcoma, a bone cancer. The vet gave Elmer 10 pain pills to be given twice a day. We
drove back to Stonington. The next morning I drove the hour to Stonington just to check on them. I asked
if Dundee had eaten? "No he hasn't, " Elmer replied. Did Dundee get a pain pill? no. I showed Elmer how
to give a cat a pain pill. It was not easy. I held Dundee, sat down, pressed gently on either side of his head.
I put one finger in the side of his mouth. Once it opened, I put the pill in his mouth. I closed Dundee's mouth
and held it tight while I used downward gliding strokes on Dundee's throat. He swallowed the pain pill.
Elmer said he did not think he could do that twice a day. Giving a pain pill or any medicine to a cat is hard. Especially
when the cat is not eating. We looked at Dundee. He did not look well. We called the vet to see if someone could
see him for Dundee's final visit. It was just a bad situation.
We took him to the vet at 4:30pm. Dundee was quiet. He was not looking at anyone
for several days. It was almost if Dundee had checked out. In the vet room Dundee layed down by himself. He slept.
Too tired to stand or to hold court any longer. It was the right thing to do. He was in pain and already activily dying.
After Dundee went to sleep with the sedative, Elmer left, and I stayed with him. It was almost as if Dundee left when
Elmer left. The next injection did not get into his blood before he left us. I kissed Dundee on his forehead. I thanked
him for greeting me and making me feel welcome. The ride home to Stonington was lighter in mood. We knew we had
done the right thing. Dundee was in cat heaven. He was out of pain. The stress was gone. Dundee lived 17 years of life to
it's fullest. I told Elmer now we have thousands of wonderful memories of a great cat Dundee.
Stonington residents asked me if Dundee's leg could be amputated. I told them the vet said no. Dundee was 17 years old.
He would not handle that kind of surgery or recover well. Dundee also had bad teeth. He had teeth infections. He had
fluid on his ear. He had kidney disease. Dundee had lost a lot of his body weight. He must have weighed less than 5
pounds. Many people asked if they could hire a vet to come to Stonington to have Dundee euthanized. No I responded.
Elmer did not want this. He did not want to see it. He didn't want bad memories of his beloved cat.
I visited Elmer the following day to check on him. He was doing fine. He was hard at work at his book store. I was glad
he was doing all right.
Over the years I wondered every Spring if Dundee would be there. I thought of all the
dangers for an outside cat such as Dundee: Dog attacks, car and trucks speeding on Main Street, people kidnapping him,
eating a mouse that had eaten rat poison. I had not thought cancer and teeth infections would be the cause of Dundee's demise.
I believe we handled Dundee with dignity. We gave him a peaceful ending. Dundee lived his life with purpose. Many times
I saw a line of people waiting to greet him in front of the book store. He made people happy. It was an honor to help Elmer
and Dundee. Rest in peace my friend Dundee.
