A Tribute to Splat

I'm typing this blog with a very sad heart. Splat, our sweet kitty that we have had for 17 years, died on Thursday, April 15. Mark and I got Splat right when we got back from our honeymoon in May of 1993, and he has been a huge part of our family ever since. We remember the night we brought him home. We shut him out of our bedroom, and he cried like a baby all night long until we couldn't take it anymore. We decided that if we were going to get any sleep at all, we would have to let him in our room (but not on our bed). Well, he eventually clawed his way up, and slept with us. That is when we first realized that cats pretty much do whatever they want, because he slept with us (usually on my feet) for the next 17 years. That's what makes me the saddest, is when I walk into our bedroom, and he's not laying on our bed. I guess we just never imagined life without him as part of our family.


After 17 years, 6 moves, and the birth of Sawyer and Bailey, we have a ton of memories with Splat. We decided to record some of them here, so we would never forget them.


*In our first tiny apartment in Provo, there was a "no pet" policy. We thought we were being sneaky with Splat until the day I answered the door holding him, and it was the apartment managers. So technically, Splat got us kicked out of our first apartment.
*Mark used to put Splat on our office chair (the kind that swivels around, and has wheels). He would spin him around really fast, and then go pushing him as fast as he could through all the rooms in our apartment. Splat would hold on for dear life, and then when it was all over, he would stay on for another ride. He loved it!
*Mark would "bowl" Splat across the linoleum floor, and he would try to run in the opposite direction that he was sliding. So funny!
*We wanted Splat to have a nice "house" to climb on and sleep in. We were very poor college students, and after looking at them, we knew we couldn't afford even the smallest ones. Mark decided to make one for him. It was the BEST, and Splat loved it. That's where he spent all his time, until it eventually fell apart from moving it around so much.
*When we lived in American Fork, Splat came walking in the house with a bird in his mouth. It was still alive, so we yelled at him until he let go of it. Then we had a live bird flying around our apartment, because it couldn't find the door to get out.
*There was an old beat up shed across the street from our house in American Fork. Splat liked to hang out there in the summer. In the evening, we would here him meowing super loud to get our attention. We would open the screen door, and call him. He would take off at full speed toward the house, but the birds would start dive bombing him. It was the funniest thing to watch. This went on all summer. He must have gotten one of their babies or something. We would yell, "Run Splat, run!" and he would come as fast as he could, looking terrified, with birds chasing him.
*In American Fork, we didn't have a shower, only a bathtub. There was a really small window on the same wall the bathtub was on, but it was up really high. When I was taking a bath, Splat would stand on the edge of the tub, and jump up into the window sill. One day the edge of the tub must have been wet, because his leg slipped when he jumped, and he landed right in the bathtub with me. Hilarious!
*One year we took him on vacation to California with us, because we didn't have anyone to watch him while we were gone. We snuck him into our hotel room in Mesquite, got him situated, and then went to dinner. On the way back, we walked by the outside of our room, and there he was sitting in the windowsill watching all the people go by. So much for being sneaky!
*When we lived in Orem, Splat went missing for about a week. We were devastated. We checked every pound and animal shelter. We searched the streets, and talked to the neighbors. We assumed we would never see him again, and then we heard him meowing outside our door. When we saw him he was covered in dirt and dust. He was as glad to see us as we were to see him. We assume he got locked in the neighbors garage for a week, but we still aren't sure what happened.
*Splat was our only pet for a lot of years. When we brought Reeses home as a puppy, Splat was not real thrilled. Reeses would make us so mad in the mornings when she would wake up super early. After a few weeks of getting mad at the dog, I started getting a hunch, so I spied on Splat. He would get out of our bed at the crack of dawn, walk down the stairs, wake up the dog, and then run back up the stairs and sit there like he was innocent while one of us got up and took care of the dog. I caught him in the act, but I didn't get mad at him, because it was really a pretty clever way to get the dog in trouble.
*Christmas with Splat was always special. He would always hang around with us during the opening of presents, because he knew there would be treats under the tree for him. We have a picture of him getting his presents on almost every Christmas! One time he even sniffed his presents out, and opened them before Christmas morning.
*And our favorite memory of all was, "If You're Stupid and You Know it Say Meow." Mark taught him a song from the time he was little. Mark would sing, "If you're stupid and you know it say meow," and then point to Splat. Without fail, Splat would meow right on cue. They would go through a whole song like this. We always said we needed to get it on tape, but we never did. The kids would try to do it with him too, but he usually ignored them. It's something he only did with Mark. We would laugh our heads off!


We all miss him a lot, and we've all shed lots of tears, but we have no regrets. He was the best cat, and he gave us 17 years worth of wonderful memories.

Splat as a kitten. 1993

They were both so goofy, that they got along great!

Splat peeking out of the house Mark made for him.

This was the first time Splat saw Sawyer move, and he realized that Sawyer was real. He sat there staring at him for the longest time with big eyes.

Splat and Sawyer loved each other right from the very start!

When Bailey was born, Splat was like a guard cat. he would sit by her bassinet and watch her for hours.

Best buddies!

Splat liked to sit in the rocking chair, because the sun came right through the window. Bailey would always try to get him. He would always stay just out of her reach.

This is my all time favorite picture that was ever taken of Splat! It shows just how patient he was. She would drag him around like this all the time. She thought she was holding him, but really she was just stretching him out :)! What a good kitty!

So sweet!

This was Christmas of 2005. We laughed so hard when we loaded the Christmas pictures onto the computer that year. Splat was in every one of them (except maybe 3). I was trying to take pictures of them with their stockings without him, but he thought he needed to be a part of all the action that year!

Same year...refusing to get out of the picture. the kids thought it was so funny!

Sleeping is what he did best.

I love this picture of him. He would always drool when he was happy. This just reminds me that he was a happy cat.

I would bring him in the kids rooms right before bed to kiss them good night. They always wanted him to stay in their rooms, but he would only sleep with me and Mark.

This was the first Christmas he was too old and tired to come down for the fun. The kids brought his presents upstairs so he could still open them.

This picture breaks my heart. It was the kids saying goodbye to him the day we had to put him to sleep.

When we found out that we had to put him to sleep, Bailey made him a crown that said King Splat. She wanted him to feel like a King for the last couple days of his life. I hope he did!


*Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened*