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If you have watched our videos (especially the early ones), you have seen him often. He was always in the background, usually sleeping. If you are a member of the photo site, he appears often in the behind the scenes section, usually trying to flirt with one of our models.
We got him as a kitten when we lived in upstate NY almost 16 years ago. He was a seal point Himalayan. |
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| From the start, he was not a friendly cat in any sense of the word. In truth, he was down right mean. He would attack you without provocation. His behavior was probably the result of bad breeding, but we had no way of knowing that when we got him – he was just a cute kitten we took home. Before he was even a year old, two veterinarians recommended we put him down. We refused – we were already too attached to him. So they suggested giving him depo-provera (a female hormone) to ‘calm’ him down (this was rural NY where they give DP to male reindeer in the petting zoos to keep them from goring the kids). For a few years, it worked to some extent. He was never affectionate, but you could live with him – though none of our friends would go anywhere near him, usually after incurring his wrath over minor infractions. When we moved to Vegas, the veternarians here were not familar with depo-provera, so they suggested valium. The valium did nothing to alter his fiesty mood, it just made him physically lethargic so you could escape when he tried to attack. Desperate for a solution, we consulted a behavioralist. They suggested giving him a “pet”. So after a lot of thought, we got Midas.
From the moment the two first met, Kashmir took to Midas like a big brother. They were inseparable – Frick & Frack we use to call them. Midas followed Kashmir everywhere. When Kashmir would get agitated (which was often), he would wrestle with Midas and then groom him. Kashmir’s mood mellowed noticably. He still wasn’t a friendly cat, but you could live with him – you just had to give him his space. The only person he truly liked was Dianne. Ray, somewhat affectionately, called him demon spawn. His personality quirks were many. For years, Ray could not sneeze anywhere in the house or Kashmir would stalk and attack him. If one of us did something he didn’t like, he would crap on the bed on the side of the person who had offended him. |
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But despite all his bad traits, once you got to know him, on some level you just had to respect him. He had more personality than any animal we have ever known. There was nothing wishy washy about him. He was loud and demanding, and expected us to cater to his whims like a petty tyrant. Strangely enough, many of our models loved him – maybe it was just that classic “bad boy” attraction transferred to a cat. Aurora Parker loved to take pictures of him. And he actually liked several models – Maria LaVey, Salem Williams and Holly Everson in particular. Even models he didn’t particularly “like” he would still find a way to flirt with – sashaying into the room to show off his handsomeness and sidling up to them when they were bound. One of the models commented that she had never seen a cat who knew how to “work it” like Kashmir did – classic cat-walk complete with swooshing tail. |
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With his quirky personality, you may ask why did we keep him? Partly because we are just crazy cat people and true animal lovers. And he was a presence through several major changes in our lives. When we packed all our belongings into a Ryder truck and left upstate New York for Vegas with no money and no plan for the future, he calmly sat on the dashboard watching all the vehicles go by. He was with us as we found success and happiness in Vegas. He moved with us from our apartment and then two houses, and he accepted the larger accommodations with each move as if it was his due. He actually was affectionate with Dianne when he was in a good mood, as she was the one who tended to his needs and whims on a daily basis. For those who never met him, it’s hard to explain, but when you got a purr out of Kashmir, well, then you knew you had “done good” as he wasn’t generous with his favors. | ||
| About 3 years ago he went blind, but he still managed to get around remarkably well. Shortly after that, however, his health began to deteriorate. Eventually he began to lose control of his body functions. We tore out the carpet and replaced it with tile. We got a new sofa, then another. Still he hung on. Still feisty, still ornery. He lived life his way and on his own terms, all the way to the end. Late last week, fragile, weak and unable to eat, that end came. As one of our friends said when we told her the sad news, he couldn’t have hoped to have any better pet humans than us.
Rest in peace, our little fur man. |
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Ray & Diane,
My condolences & sympathy to you on your loss. I dunno if you know, but I’m a “cat person” and I volunteer at a local animal shelter in the “Cat Adopts” room.
I’m sorry for the loss but it certainly seems like “the Big K” had a long & happy time on Planet Earth.
best,
Shemp
Chicagoland
Sorry to hear of the loss of Kashmir. Always hurts no matter how long you have them, or how old they are. Vaguely remembering starting a thread on imagostudios message board about the names of the cats (I thought it was “big one” and “little one” or something like that). At least Kashmir knew he was loved – best wishes.
Oh my goodness I am so sorry to hear that. Even though I have only seen him a few times I fell in love with his antics and how he would go in circles trying to find my hand. Without his sight and with his health seeming to deplete he had strong will and spirit. I will really miss that cat but am very glad that the other two are healthy and hopefully as rambunctious as usual to keep the two of you distracted. <3
Sorry to hear about it, Ray and Dianne. I know what it’s like to lose someone close, especially a pet that has been with you for so long.
RIP Kashmir
So sorry. It’s tough to lose a pet, even when they’ve had a full life.
Ray & Dianne,
I’m very sorry for you loss. I have seem Kashmir in photos & videos over they years and he was always a fixture. He added something to your site and made it seem more friendly than the standard bondage environment you see elsewhere.
JW
Dear Ray and Dianne,
My deepest condolences. I’m a cat lover and cat owner myself, so I can imagine how hard it must be to lose a loved family member and faithful companion after such a long time. Kashmir always made me smile, when he appears in a video or in a picture.
Rest in peace, Kashmir.
I wish you all the very best!
Martin
Dear Ray and Dianne,
My Mistress and I are friends with Kylie and we just wanted to pass on our condolences in regards to your loss. We have 4 babies of our own (2 cats and 2 dogs) and we know from experience that it is so hard to see a family member pass on. I have personally been a huge fan of your site for years and always remember seeing your little man so very happy and curious like any well loved cat should be..
All the best to both of you.
Erin and Joe.