Lola Mia Radar (2010-2026)

This week we said goodbye to our little alien of a tuxedo cat, Lola. She’s going back to her home planet – wherever that is.

I never really liked cats, let alone loved one – until this little “pincess” (typo intentional). She was the perfect “starter cat” for me. Part emotional support animal, part comedian, she was 100% made of love and light and turned me into a cat dad.

Lola was a rescue, who had been abandoned as a kitten and spent a summer being fed by residents at a campground. At the end of that summer, my partner took her home. That was about fifteen years ago.

Lola came into my life 5 years ago – both her and Murray (the orange cat) were a package deal that came with a new relationship. I was a little apprehensive, but before I knew it I’d find myself sitting on the couch, Lola in my lap, petting the top of her head. The allergy symptoms eventually went away as I got used to everything being covered in fur. It’s official. She’d stolen that little cat sized hole in my heart.

Sitting next to me on the couch became one of her favourite spots, and a new favourite way for me to unwind. From there she could easily see what I was eating (we’ll come back to that), or if I wasn’t paying enough attention to her, gently tap her paw twice on my chest to get my attention. It was very cute.

I’m usually the one who feeds the cats. Which means that Lola would be waiting for me to wake up in the morning to get her breakfast. This later became getting into bed and sleeping on my head until I woke up. Cute, but the occasional paw to the face at 6am isn’t pleasant either.

Lola was very food motivated. Very. Her favourites by far were dairy products. She’s been found with her head in a container of sour cream, a stick of butter, or a bowl of ice cream on more than one occasion.

As an older cat, Lola was happy to spend her days napping, the sunbeam the stairs being a great spot. She had an apple crate in the living room that was another favourite spot. And sometimes she’d just sit random places, like on a laser printer….

Unfortunately she was diagnosed with kidney cancer in December. After Christmas, her health declined rapidly.

She didn’t go without one last adventure though. On New Year’s Day, she found a hole in the wall in our bathroom that we didn’t know was there. A search ensued when the empty bathroom was found following a loud clatter. Minutes later I found Lola in the basement, trying to jump up onto a couch for a nap.

Lola spent her last days at home with her favourite humans.

I’d like to thank the services of Dr. Carmen Purtscher from Lindenlea Mobile Veterinary Services who provided at-home end-of-life services for Lola. Being able to say goodbye to her at home, in a comfortable setting, was greatly appreciated.

Safe travels Lola.

I miss her already. I think Murray is already getting sick of the extra attention I’m showering him with.

And no, she never figured out where that red dot on the walls was coming from….