An Ode to one of God's Creatures

How many odes to felines have been written?
I'll just add one more to the list.
Twelve years ago, we got them as kittens,
In Texarkana, and I'm sure they were missed.
These brother kittens I wanted to name
Cirrus and Stratus, but it didn't quite fit.
We saw that they should instead be called
Jacob and Esau.  Anyway, it's not as lame.
They lived up to their namesake quite a bit.

Bro. Esau was adventurous and brave, red and hairy
Bro. Jacob had short white hair, and was a little sneaky
They lived inside for a while right after we were married.
Once the washing machine's hose burst and made an icky,
Wet mess, and the kitties were trapped in the laundry room.
Poor kitties; we found them shivering under the spray.
When the new baby arrived, not to mention a new, unclawed couch,
We sent them outside to enjoy the trees on which to groom,
The warm sunshine, and neighborly dogs.  And each busy day,
I could see them romping, rolling, and running off Pomeranians.

One sad day, Esau trudged home very sick.
We took him to the vet.  He received a shot.
We all pondered the reason, maybe a deadly tick.
At home, he wandered off,  to some secret, shady spot.
Horridly, the neighbor brought him back in a sack.
Greg pulled out a shovel and we murmured our farewell.
Now he sleeps on Shoemaker, having been only 3 years old.
Jacob survived and thrived, perhaps missing his brotherly pack.
We carried him with us when we moved.  He liked White Oak; I could tell.
Once we were unsure if he'd come home, but he did with adventures untold.

Through each new child, Jacob stayed.  He got a taste of wild suburban game.
He caught bunnies and birds, but squirrel was his absolute favorite.
Our cat-hating neighbor could put up with this feline's ways, if he caught that game.
Jacob wasn't interested in bugs or rodents; he didn't seem to care for it.
When we would go for walks around the block, especially on snowy days,
He traipsed along with us, enjoying every step.  Full moon, ice on the ground,
We loved it all.  He wasn't especially cuddly, does that surprise you?
But he liked to be petted on the head and to lay in your lap which was all the craze.
He liked to kitty-claw into your jeans while sitting in the swing and make that purring sound
While waiting for something to eat.  For 6 years on White Oak, too.

Toward the end, how did it come to be?  How and why did he get sick?
Only this year we noticed he didn't seem to like his food.
Maybe it was the heat or maybe he just wanted food he got to pick.
Could have been a bad squirrel or a neighbor in one of those moods.
I wonder, too, about the rabies shot he was given
Or if he licked some antifreeze or chewed on a lily.
We took him to the cat specific vet who tried to save him.
Dehydrated is all, the vet said.  We let him come in.
We forced him to eat and drink, and even though it seemed silly,
Many, many different types of food was what we gave him.

We did think he was getting better, but nothing helped, nothing worked.
Jacob laid around the house and under the desks, sleeping.
He did drink water, but soon his walking was becoming jerked.
That last night, I put him in the laundry basket for safe keeping.
Earlier I had told him that it was ok to go see Esau.
I wanted him to go naturally, even though some questioned,
Why did you make him suffer so?  It wasn't what was intended.
It just happened that way, right or wrong and so we saw
Jacob go.  One final shake and the breath was hushed.
The wonderful life of Jacob--and that's how it ended.

While we were at the animal shelter, a clergyman from
An Anglican church visited the animals.  It was a feast day,
And he was blessing each of them, one by one
Asking the Lord to give each there a good home this day.
He said he was there representing St. Francis of Assisi,
Showing concern for each of God's wonderful creatures.