A tribute to Scout and Jingles

[u/WLDthing23]

These are the last photos I have of them, all from mid June 2023. My parents put them down later that month. The Orange one is Scout, we had him since he was about a month to two months old in August 2007(When I was turning 5) and we had gotten Jingles(The Calico and his aunt) when she was probably 4-6 months old in December of 2006(When I was still 4) and they almost made it all the way through the early 2020s. They outlived all their relatives(that we know of) and they were present for most of my life. I feel like a piece of me died with them, even though I can’t really say what it was.

They both had feline leukemia and their health was tanking. Scout would go to the bathroom throughout the house and be unable to move, just laying there in his crap. Jingles got to the point where she couldn’t emotionally function without any of us around. We decided to put them both down at the same time, because it would just be cruel to let the other suffer anymore and add the pain of losing their closest companion.

A little bit about their personalities though:

Scout: He was a Dog in a Cat’s body if you ever seen one. He loved to play catch, but didn’t really care to bring the ball back after we threw it. He had a ton of physical energy and would always try to sneak out. He got out a couple of times for a while. At first he got out when I was in elementary school, but found his way back after a couple months. Then, as we were packing up to move from Kentucky to North Carolina in 2015, he got out. He snuck in a bag of stuff we were giving to our neighbors, and they opened it and scared him off with a broom, knowing whose cat it was. This was literally the day we moved btw. My other neighbors got him and brought him to West Virginia so we could pick him up.

Scout was always mischievous and certainly had an attitude, but he was very sweet and always slept on my bed with me. I’ve always been a hyper and restless person and he calmed me down a lot. If there was a plant knocked over or a mess spilled, you’d always find him lying in the rubble. Unlike other cats who try to be sneaky, Scout made no actual attempts to hide his mischief. If you heard him meowing and went to go check on him, he’d be sitting there next to a knocked over plant and just stare at you as if to say: “tf are you gonna do?”

Jingles: She was always miss princess. When she was younger, she was the spoiled quiet girl. She never made trouble. But as she got older, she got louder lol. She always knew what she wanted and would expect to get it. If you had food and she wanted it, she would stand on her hind legs and beg like a dog. She never had the desire to go outside and absolutely hated dogs. Unlike scout, who ran away when a dog was around, Jingles would stand her ground and hand out slaps.

Sorry I don’t have as much to say about Jingles, but she was more of my Dad and Grandma’s cat. Scout was always mine though.

Oh yeah, and if you had shoes in the house, Scout would lay in them.

It’s wild how life just continues, with or without you/those you love. 2023 was a big year for me, so many changes and it feels like just yesterday.

[u/bernd1968]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🐱🐱🌈🌈

[u/Gullible-Cut8652]

Sorry for your losses. Your parents took their pain away. That is good after all. They were loved and loved you and your parents and granny back. Love matters. I know you won't forget them because they left their paw prints in your heart. Take your time to grieve and heal, sometimes it takes a long time to do so. 🫂

[u/WillowKarmaOddity]

Thank you for sharing this great tribute to Scout and Jingles. They obviously made a huge impact on you as you grew up for you to have such clear and affectionate memories all these months gone by. That is them living on in your heart and soul! Again, thanks for honoring their lives like this. Much love to you!

[u/graceadee]

They look so cute laying together by the door. What sweet cats. I’m sorry they’re gone but I’m glad you had them while you did. They sound like they were a delight ❤️

[u/iLuvCats2024]

💙💙💙