Remembering Apollo
Very suddenly we had to say goodbye to our beloved cat Apollo.
We got him home from the AWL on 11 January 2007 when he was about 12 weeks old. It was clear that he was an hunter, he liked attacking a toy mouse and we gave him the name Apollo.
He killed many nice in our garden over the years and even when he got older, it was still one of his favorite activities. He didn't eat them, he just left them for us to clean up.
Normally he was the cat that stayed in our garden, afraid to cross the street and we will never know why, but we like to think he was chasing/hunting something when he was involved in a collision that he didn't survive.
He was cat with his own mind, didn't like kids or other visitors when he was younger, especially not during day time. Once he got older, his fears of our kids got less, especially when there was food on a plate.
I think the first time our Thomas was able to pat Apollo for the first time, he was about 5/6 yrs old. When older, visitors were able to pat him in the evenings once all settled on the couch and he came to inspect who was staying in his house this time.
After losing his "brother" Columbus in 2011, he was the only cat for several years, until we introduced Katie to him.
Katie and Apollo never really bonded, and it took a while before he accepted her in the house. (Or was it more tolerated her in the house?)
Apollo was a beautiful cat, long black/white hair who always came for a daily pat in the evenings with us. He wouldn't take no for an answer. Staring at you or headbutt you until he got what he wanted.
He liked his pats under the chin and belly until he "flopped down" next to you and forcing you to move over so he got some more space.
He liked his beanbag to sleep on in the evening. He was always annoyed, miauwing and hissing at you if you wake him up to go downstairs for the night. Most times he "smacked" Katie on his way down as it was "her fault" he needed to go downstairs.
Yes, he was annoying sometimes: He didn't always want to come in when you called him, or had to "schnitzel" himself in the dirt first before he decided to come into the house. When he used the bath-mat again instead his litter tray or put his claws in you as he made himself comfortable next to you on the couch. Miauwing every time you came home telling he was hungry and everybody is ignoring him and he needed "wet" food again or his favorite snack; Chicken, he loved his chicken.
But he was our Polly, Flopsy, Blacky, our Apollo for over more then 14 years.
He is being missed by the LoveTrek Team, but not forgotten.
Below some pictures from him since the day we had him.