Roger Zee Memoirs

"Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician"

Lembus Passing 07/02/20

I woke up at about 5 a.m. this morning to pee only to find that my beloved 20 year-old rescue cat Lembus had passed away in his favorite spot -- in the bathtub drinking water from the spigot! Welcome to another episode of my memoirs, "Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician."

When my kids still lived with me, my daughter Charlotte Mander begged for a cat. She swore she would feed and clean up after it, even change the kitty litter. Hahaha! So one day we went down to Petco on Central Avenue in White Plains and adopted Lembus' predecessor Maria from a small rescue outfit set up outside the store.

We all adored Maria, a friendly, dark-haired Tabby who loved stroking and attention. When my girlfriend Misha spent the night, Maria would curl up between our entangled feet and purr so loudly that it sounded like a locomotive steaming through the apartment! But Maria came with a lot of health issues. Right from the get-go she needed multiple teeth pulled as well as antibiotics. She later developed severe kidney problems. We ended up finally putting her down.

This naturally upset Charlotte very much. And soon she began to plead incessantly for a new cat. She finally prevailed because I never could resist entreaties from beautiful, precious women... So Charlotte, Spencer, and I drove down to the humongous, horrendous Elmsford Animal Shelter. I read an article on choosing a cat that said to hold them upside down and see how they react. If they didn't fuss too much, they'd make a great pet for children. We went through a few trials that way with no success. We thought we found one keeper, but when I put him on my shoulder, he went nuts and clawed through my t-shirt and body, LOL!

They kept most of the cats in cages for two with very little interior room. We went through rows and rooms full of them until we came upon Lembus, a gray and white Tuxedo then named Dollar. He looked so beautiful, but very forlorn, almost catatonic. The kids took him out of the cage, held him upside down, then cuddled and gently played with him. Keeper! The shelter made us go through a large screening process with tons of paperwork. They called up my vet, the super from my apartment building, and made me sign papers saying I would not declaw him. I ended up paying about $150 that included neutering him.

The day finally came when the kids and I picked Lembus up and took him home. When we let him out of his traveling box, he ran around the apartment like a madman! What happened to the shy, gentle, almost somnambulant cat we rescued? Turns out he really pulled one over on us! He did what he had to do to get out of that hellacious Animal Shelter. Kudos. Well played!

His death arrived not totally unexpected. He began to appear ill after I bought a used, black faux leather couch from my neighbor down the hall. At the time of purchase, she did point out a few frayed areas of the sofa. But of course, as soon as I paid my super and his son to dispose of the old couch and move this one into my apartment, the landslide/avalanche of peeling began. Upon sitting down, I felt very comfortable and pleased with myself. Until I got up and noticed all the flecks of pleather on on my feet and the floor.

Too late to turn back now! So I hoped for the best. After the initial flurry caused by a new butt on the furniture, the shedding should drop off. But when the weather heated up as Spring turned to Summer, the slow, steady flaking turned into a blizzard. But Lembus loved the couch! He started spending a lot of time curled up in what now morphed into his spot and licking himself clean. And therein lay the problem...

His fur started matting into large clumps that I could not brush out. Lembus appeared to grow lethargic and sleep more. But after all he's a cat! And then again, I didn't get my nickname, the "King of Denial," for nothing, LOL. So I changed his food a little bit, gave him more cold water, and petted him every chance I got. He never used to enjoy the stroking and all of a sudden now he dug it. Another sign...

I grew more and more worried. Then one day on the phone to my friend Lynn M., she gave me some great sofa ideas she gleaned from her ex, a good furniture salesperson. She told me never to buy an L-shaped sectional because no one could fit in the space where the two met. And that set off bells in my head. A year ago I had bought a futon that sat in my office and never gets used. So I got on the phone immediately to my super and arranged for him and his son to haul out the offending flaker the next day and move the futon into the living room.

All went smoothly. And after a very thorough vacuuming, I felt like a king living in a clean palace again. No more black particles clinging to my chest, back and arms. And no more tracking the pleather all over the apartment.

After the discovery this morning, I got dressed, wrapped up Lembus, took him to nearby woods at 6 a.m. and held a service for him before cremation. My spirit animal, the crow, sent an emissary who perched on a tree branch above our heads and yakked out a large remembrance. I walked us home, still in shock. I washed out his food and water bowls, cleaned out the kitty litter and took a long shower.

So I find myself in my Covid-19 Golden Tears back in lockdown only without my favorite companion. And to boot, I feel an immense guilt about his passing. Did he die of faux leather poisoning or just old age. Feels like yet another eff up on my part! So today I celebrate the fabulous Lembus by learning the bass lines to the epic romance "Year of the Cat" album by Al Stewart. One <3

YouTube - Year of the Cat - Al Stewart