Chubba (GA)
Member Since 2017
2 months ago today Gizmo made his way to the rainbow bridge. We miss him terribly, but he is definitely still making his presence known in our daily lives. He is watching over us until the day we can be together again. 
I created Gizmo’s memorial video about a month ago, but just couldn’t bring myself to post it. I made a memory book for the kids and us, ordered his memorial garden plaque, and created memory ornaments for our Christmas tree. Posting this condo and video will be all I have left. Everything will seem so final then.
Gizmo came into our home 13 years ago. My husband wasn’t really a cat person (but then Gizmo came along). He spotted him on the blacktop driveway that we share with our neighbors. He come home one day and said if you want a cat, that’s the one. Since I went through about a cat a year growing up (they were outside cats and always disappeared), I told him I would only get a cat if we would keep him indoors. Well, the next day, I picked up Gizmo from my neighbors and took him to my parent’s house for the afternoon. We noticed he had an infestation of little red bugs ... so my mom and I bathed him in a bucket of water. Poor kitty, but he didn’t mind. This is when we realized he was just a big ball of fluff! He was just an easy going lovable guy. Gizmo joined our home and soon became best friends with our mini schnauzer and bunny.
My neighbors had nicknamed him rolly-polly because he had a big belly and was always rolling around. It wasn’t long until Gizmo earned himself many nicknames from us. As a kitten we called him Houdini. Gizmo could escape from anything! Then after minutes of looking everywhere for him, he would just appear in the middle of the floor.
His greatest escape would have to be from the bathroom we kept him in when he was a kitten while we were at work. To this day, we still have no idea how he was getting out. We kept increasing the barriers, but somehow he always was waiting outside the bathroom when we returned home. We had the door shut, with a baby gate across the outside, and piece of cardboard stuck between the door and the gate. Needless to say ... he won and we gave up. He was the master of escape!
He grew up into a beautiful big cat. Gizmo was never overweight, just a huge cat (hindsight - acromegaly). So he got the nickname Chubba, Chubba whubba, Chubby, or Chubbs (added to Giz and Gizzy). He had so many names and he answered to them all.
He was the sweetest cat. My children could just pick him up and carry him anywhere (and given his big kitty status - this was not an easy task for preschoolers to accomplish, but he didn’t mind). He would follow them around the house ... always looking to be part of their adventures. The memory that stands out the most ... he loved to be their patient when they had their doctor kit out. He was the perfect patient ... right down to the toy bandaid they would put on his paw.
Once he got diabetes, I was terrified.
I even told my husband there is no way I am giving him insulin shots twice a day. But he was so accepting and knew we were helping him to get better. He even told us when it was time to test or get his shot (the power of treats!). The sugar dance brought Gizmo so much closer to us and as weird as it sounds I am thankful to have been able to have that bond with him.
Well, this is getting kinda long (sorry). Thank you for taking the time to get to know Gizmo a little better. I hope you enjoy the video. I of course had to include the song Gizmo sent to us “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”
Gizmo's Video
Gizmo's Last Post
I created Gizmo’s memorial video about a month ago, but just couldn’t bring myself to post it. I made a memory book for the kids and us, ordered his memorial garden plaque, and created memory ornaments for our Christmas tree. Posting this condo and video will be all I have left. Everything will seem so final then.
Gizmo came into our home 13 years ago. My husband wasn’t really a cat person (but then Gizmo came along). He spotted him on the blacktop driveway that we share with our neighbors. He come home one day and said if you want a cat, that’s the one. Since I went through about a cat a year growing up (they were outside cats and always disappeared), I told him I would only get a cat if we would keep him indoors. Well, the next day, I picked up Gizmo from my neighbors and took him to my parent’s house for the afternoon. We noticed he had an infestation of little red bugs ... so my mom and I bathed him in a bucket of water. Poor kitty, but he didn’t mind. This is when we realized he was just a big ball of fluff! He was just an easy going lovable guy. Gizmo joined our home and soon became best friends with our mini schnauzer and bunny.
My neighbors had nicknamed him rolly-polly because he had a big belly and was always rolling around. It wasn’t long until Gizmo earned himself many nicknames from us. As a kitten we called him Houdini. Gizmo could escape from anything! Then after minutes of looking everywhere for him, he would just appear in the middle of the floor.
His greatest escape would have to be from the bathroom we kept him in when he was a kitten while we were at work. To this day, we still have no idea how he was getting out. We kept increasing the barriers, but somehow he always was waiting outside the bathroom when we returned home. We had the door shut, with a baby gate across the outside, and piece of cardboard stuck between the door and the gate. Needless to say ... he won and we gave up. He was the master of escape!He grew up into a beautiful big cat. Gizmo was never overweight, just a huge cat (hindsight - acromegaly). So he got the nickname Chubba, Chubba whubba, Chubby, or Chubbs (added to Giz and Gizzy). He had so many names and he answered to them all.
He was the sweetest cat. My children could just pick him up and carry him anywhere (and given his big kitty status - this was not an easy task for preschoolers to accomplish, but he didn’t mind). He would follow them around the house ... always looking to be part of their adventures. The memory that stands out the most ... he loved to be their patient when they had their doctor kit out. He was the perfect patient ... right down to the toy bandaid they would put on his paw.
Once he got diabetes, I was terrified.
I even told my husband there is no way I am giving him insulin shots twice a day. But he was so accepting and knew we were helping him to get better. He even told us when it was time to test or get his shot (the power of treats!). The sugar dance brought Gizmo so much closer to us and as weird as it sounds I am thankful to have been able to have that bond with him.Well, this is getting kinda long (sorry). Thank you for taking the time to get to know Gizmo a little better. I hope you enjoy the video. I of course had to include the song Gizmo sent to us “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”
Gizmo's Video
Gizmo's Last Post
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And I really chuckled at hearing about escape artist shenanigans, I can imagine how pleased Gizmo looked each time he escaped the bathroom, knowing you couldn't figure out his secret, what a cheeky boy. 
. I mentioned to the vet tech at my clinic that I wanted to see about a new script for Levemir, she said, why? His numbers aren't that bad 
. So, I'll need an appointment to see the vet, and if I can't get through to them, I'll need to find another.
