Tuck Everlasting

Tucker Parkay Murton

1998-2010

I am beyond heartbroken to say that Tucker, my cat of 12 years, past away while I was visiting family in Georgia. 

I've been so overwhelmed with sadness in his absence that I haven't been able to write about him, and even now I'm tearing up while I type...

Tucker had a very special place in my life and in my heart. He was much more than just a cat.
This is Tucker's story...

In 1998, when I was 13, my parents got divorced. Shortly after our family went through a horrible tragedy. My Mom got me and my Sister kittens from the Humane Society. Tucker was my kitten and Mikey was Sarah's. They were brothers and barely old enough to survive on their own. Tucker was the runt of the litter. When we took him home he was so little he couldn't even drink water out of a bowl yet. I had to feed him from a straw. 

 

 (please note that my Mom owned a bridal shop, therefore we got all the old dresses that never sold. Also this is a picture of a picture so sorry for the bad quality. Tucker is on the right, Mikey on the left.)

In talking to my sister since loosing Tucker she put it very plainly "they were like therapy", and it's so true. I didn't think about it at the time but having Tucker and Mikey helped us deal with all that was going on in our lives. I don't know if my Mom knew that too, maybe she did and maybe that's why were were allowed to have pets when before we had only had a family pet. Tucker was my first pet that was all mine to take care of. He was smaller than my beanie babies (I collected those at the time). 

I named him Tucker after the movie Tuck Everlasting (based on the novel). I was obsessed with this movie about the Tuck family who were immortal after drinking water from a magic spring. Hence the name Tucker. Parkay (yes, I give my pets middle names) was from that fake butter spray. Remember, I was only 13 at the time, so don't judge too harshly.

Tucker loved catnip and snuggles. He would go crazy over catnip! He was the stoner for sure! He always wanted to snuggle with us on the couch. He had little raisinet toes I called them, cause they looked like little raisinets. He didn't ever meow right, it always sounded more like "meep". It sounded a lot like the Beaker off Muppet Babies, but cuter!

 (This picture was taken my senior year in high school, either 2001 or 2002.)

Tucker was always there for me, through the good and the bad. He never judged me and was always there for a good snuggle. When we moved to England we opted to leave him with my mom because we knew the long overseas flight would be a lot for him to handle. We went got stationed stateside again we drove down to Georgia to pick them up. It was nice to have him back in my day to day life again.

When we had Ariana he was the sweetest cat you could have wanted. He would let her do anything to him and he would just take it and keep coming around her anyways. She was always trying to give him hugs or kisses and I think he loved it! She learned to call him and he would actually come, that made her face light up!

He was there when she was just learning to walk.

She learned to give kisses by giving them to Tucker.

Tucker was definitely more than a pet, but was a member of our family. He was the quietest one of the group. After putting Ariana to bed at night and dealing with feeding everyone and having the dogs constantly in my face. Tucker was the last one that got loved on. He was always snuggling with me on the couch at the end of the day. I miss those moments.

I have lots more pictures of Tucker but it's so emotionally draining for me to have to sort through all my old pictures to find them that I can't do any more tonight. These will have to do for this post.

He was our Rum Tum Tucky and we miss him dearly!

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown... 

xo's

Cat