Remembering Trouble: A Fearless Cat

Yep, that’s a cat on a kayak. Trouble, our first NYC cat and an unforgettable character, lived up to his name in the most zany ways. We adopted him by accident. It involves my husband’s colleague rescuing him from his Times Square residential  building & bringing him to the office with the intention of taking him to a shelter in the evening. But when the boss arrived stating the office policy of pets not being allowed, Trouble needed to be escorted out of the cubicles! So, when I arrived home in the evening after a frenetic day of news reporting, I was greeted by a white and black American domestic shorthair who emerged from under the bed and walked confidently towards me, not in the least bit intimidated by his new surroundings. He was supposed to stay a few days with us before being taken to the shelter or adopted by another potentially interested couple; instead he stayed another fifteen years. 

Years later, sometime after the pandemic started, we escaped the confines of our Brooklyn apartment — the wailing sirens, those infamous freezer trucks, and the wipe- everything-down angst, to a cozy, empty cabin in the Catskills thanks to the lovely Colleen Theis—Prashant’s generous colleague. 

We took along both our cats: Trouble, the social fella, and Midi, the shy queen.  While Midi preferred playing it safe, sticking close to the familiarity of the cabin, Trouble embraced the great outdoors with unbridled enthusiasm. He ventured into the woods, chasing chipmunks as though he was born to it, in a way you could never imagine an apartment cat capable of. He lounged next to me on the grass as I kept up with my yoga practice, hung out on the deck breathing in the pine-fresh air, and, yes, even came along for a boat ride. It was his last hurrah—a final adventure that epitomized his fearless spirit.

A few months later, on Halloween night, October 30th, Trouble passed away when we were back in Brooklyn. He was really pure presence, loving, very dog-like in his interest in companionship, and a huge source of comfort & entertainment.

Months later, while I was still grieving, Trouble appeared in a dream. He was purring away on my pillow, just as he used to in real life. But in this dreamscape, he spoke and told me he loved me. That figment, whatever it was, helped me finally say goodbye to a glorious cat who’d crisscrossed Manhattan & Brooklyn with us, living in many different apartments; welcoming a second cat, River, becoming best buddies with him; then welcoming our babies, two boys. After  River passed, he did try making friends with our next cat, Midi Midi, but she was the only creature who stayed immune to Trouble’s many charms. 

He was really pure presence, very dog-like in his interest in companionship, a source of comfort & entertainment. He’d been the center of attention at our parties, scratched our toddlers, looked after me after a leg surgery, and entertained many guests. 

Just the other weekend, we finally scattered Trouble’s ashes on a fiery Brazilian bush we planted in his memory. The bush, which will eventually have bright red flowers, serves as a living tribute to the zest he embodied, right from when he was a young kitten in midtown Manhattan. He would’ve liked our Westchester home, but he never got to see it. Now though he’s part of this bush and woven into the land in a way that makes me happy and grateful. 

So, here’s to Trouble, and to embracing more of his fearless energy into all our lives.