Nessie Burke – Ragdoll of the Week

We bought a bi-color seal Ragdoll from a pet store we found in my parents’ town in August 2009. My then-girlfriend Nicole and I had talked about getting a cat. I had always been a dog person.

My girlfriend went on and on about Ragdolls cats and she was really obsessed over the breed. While we went into the pet store and saw a small 8-week-old kitten that was all white with bright blue eyes. The original owner wanted a pair of Ragdoll cats, but didn’t like how small the female was so he only took the male. This would be Nessie, the newest member of our little family.

I was amazed at everything she did. I would joke and say Nessie was ready “right out of the box!”. She knew how to use the litter box and was the sweetest cat I’ve ever seen. The books and websites are right about Ragdolls.

Nessie followed us room to room and always wanted to be around us. At the time, Nicole (now my wife) and I weren’t living together so Nessie spent a lot of time going back and forth in the car. She actually became an amazing car companion, no yowling or fighting. She loved to sit on our laps for short trips.

Nessie had an amazing temperament. We have never been bitten or scratched by her, ever. Unless you count “muffins” when her claws were too long and needed to be trimmed. She was great with our niece and nephews, although we would have to rescue her from time to time if the kiddos were being too aggressive. She never scratched or bit though.

She had a beautiful grey mask that she grew into as well as some pretty off-white, bash colors with dark ears and tail. Everyone who saw her and petted her always compliment her on how “gorgeous” she was and how she felt like a rabbit. Nessie was incredibly soft with her long hair, even though it got everywhere, and I mean everywhere, she was worth it.

Nessie grew up around some smaller dogs, and while she tolerated the dogs running around and being “improper” they all got along. Unfortunately, Nessie was a Queen and she did not get along with ANY other cats.

It was us three as a family, Nicole, myself and Nessie. We even started doing funny Christmas photos to pass out to people every Christmas. She was never a lap cat; she’d only cuddle on you if you had a blanket or pillow on top of you.

She was a princess like that. She didn’t enjoy many toys, however, she loved string and weirdly, shoes and sandals. She loved to rub on shoes, sleep on shoes, even gnaw on shoes. She clearly had a shoe fetish.

We enjoyed Nessie’s companionship for the short time we had it. On June 2nd, 2020, we lost her to unforeseen complications. She was only 11 years old. The veterinarian seemed to think she had some type of brain tumor or neurological issue.

It was impossible to tell without a $3-5000 dollar MRI, which we were told wouldn’t help treatment anyway. We are deeply saddened by her passing and we are going to miss her, like really, really miss her. She made our house a home, and I want to thank Jenny for giving me this platform to tell her story.

Life can be unfair and not make sense sometimes. We are upset that we only got 11 years, but she gave us companionship and love that we’ll never forget. She also transformed me into a cat person.

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