Jarvis (named after Jarvis Cocker), also known as Jarv, Jarverman, Count Jarvula (his fangs drew a lot of blood), Knucklehead, Monk, Monkey, Funky Monkey and Monkey Man, was born on the Grabowski Farm in West Rutland. In August 1998, he and his equally tiny brother George were brought to the convenience store where my husband was working. He was only supposed to pick one, but couldn't choose, so they both got a home, first in Center Rutland, then briefly on Strongs Ave. in Rutland, and then 12 years on West Street, before moving to his final home on East Street in 2013.
As a baby, my husband liked to flip Monkey onto his back, shake him and go "rawrrrrr!!!". This no doubt contributed to his crazy personality and aggressive play. He had a lot of energy. One day I found baby Monkey jumping up and down over and over by himself for no reason other than I guess he had excess energy to burn. He loved to play. Got a bit rough sometimes, we were always covered in scratches and bite marks, and occasionally blood...hubby had to go to the hospital once after Monkey stepped on his face, and I once got a black eye, but it was all part of having the Monkey. He LOVED his claws and had his own unfinished wood bookshelf to use instead of a scratching post. It now has huge chunks taken out of both sides and we will think of him whenever we look at it. He loved to climb, which is why he was known as Monkey. He climbed up people to sit on their shoulders. He pulled down every curtain rod on West Street swinging on the curtains. He had his own fancy office chair (now ripped to shreds) which he used to catapult himself on top the bedroom door - nothing like waking up to see him stare down at you before jumping on you like a tiny pro-wrestler. He used the towel bar on the bathroom to get on top that door, where he'd have to be rescued. He managed to get up inside the drop-tile ceiling and freak hubby out when he saw him staring down through the clear panel over the lights. We had to "Monkey-proof" the apartment but it didn't always work, like the time he managed to get into the extra paper towel rolls and rip them to shreds, walking around with the evidence stuck all over his paws. Monkey tried to keep cool when it was warmer by laying in the tub or the sink, but on one occasion that backfired on him. He loved to run from one end of the apartment to the other (sounded like a tiny horse), but one day he went to jump into the tub and "splash!". He was so traumatized, standing there dripping and trying to shake the water off like a little dog. While he was getting up to all his misbehaving, if you told him to stop, he'd just look at you like "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" and then carry right on misbehaving.
Monkey LOVED people, and loved when his people family came to visit him. He wanted to be everyone's friend. He got very distressed when workmen or delivery people came by and I had to put him in another room. He also hated it when his human was outside mowing the grass, shoveling snow or talking to someone. He had a sad meow that he didn't use too much, but if he couldn't get to people he meowed. He also loved to get nose to nose at the screen door with Gracie, the little dog next door.
Monkey loved his bro George, even though 2 more opposite personalities would be hard to find. George sports a rip in his ear due to playfighting that got out of hand about 10 years ago. Monkey felt bad about that, and was not so rough after that, but still had fun beating up his bro, whose fur would be flying. They also enjoyed a lot of "bro time", snuggled together somewhere. Monkey was very concerned about George's cleanliness and was always giving him a bath, which George didn't mind, unless Monkey started chewing on his ears.
Monkey loved people food. I don't know that Jones Donuts realizes how happy their lemon cookies made him. It was the last thing he ever ate. He loved Chef Boyardee, beef stew, soups and chowders of various kinds (esp. chicken corn chowder), alfredo sauce, pot pie, vanilla ice cream (it gave him shivers), popcorn, chips, pork rinds, lunchmeat, hot dogs, chicken, turkey, fish and was a connoisseur of Vermont made cheese (Cabot & Crowley being the faves). He would usually sit as close as possible and stare at you, but sometimes he wanted food now, and he would reach his claw out and poke you, sometimes repeatedly.
And Monkey loved us, and we loved him. He always wanted a snuggle or a hug, which could be a bit dangerous in his younger years when you might get bloodied, but as he got older he got mellower and could be snuggled and kissed without fear of injury. At night, if he wasn't snuggled with his bro somewhere, he was snuggled with one of us. He was so light - never much more than 7 pounds - that I sometimes didn't even realize he was there. He would lay on hubby's pillow and step on his face. In 2009 I was very sick in bed for 2 months, and he was always there to check on me and just chill. He also had a built in clock and always knew when his human would be home. He'd run back and forth between the kitchen (always running around the table) and bedroom, anxiously looking and waiting.
Monkey also loved catnip - you dare not put your hands near him if he was stoned because he turned into a dangerous maniac, the laser pointer, scratching his human's shoes, licking plastic bags, water from his cup, watching birds, feet (for snuggling or biting), ripping apart newspapers, pulling things out of the cubby holes and desk, his heating pad on his memory foam pillow, his towel rack, his office chair covered with stinky outerwear, the cat tree from granddad and the sunshine. He didn't love the alarm at the firehouse which would send him into a panic, and he hated all cats (except George), especially Kitty. He thought he was a tough guy until he had to be rescued from a desk after coming face to face with her. They had to be kept apart for their own safety.
In December 2012 Monkey was diagnosed with kidney disease and in March 2013 had a very close call. After that he was on twice a week sub-q fluids which he dealt with like a champ. He didn't like "pumping up days" but he rarely squirmed too much, and was never mad, always giving me a head bump afterwards and getting some sort of edible treat. He was doing really good with his kidney disease when suddenly he got very sick at the end of July 2014. He had a tumor in his bladder, and his bladder ruptured. He somehow survived 3 nights at the vets and came home for 2 nights, where he was spoiled with love and his favorite people food. We took him to the vets to say goodbye at noon on July 31, where he passed away peacefully in my arms.
Monkey is survived by his humans - me & hubby, and his brother George, who we promised Monkey we'd continue to take good care of. Also his extended human family - Granddad Barry and Grandma Nancy in Wisconsin, Grandma Cathy in Maryland, and Aunt Kiddo & Uncle Ahmad in Texas. Also the nice people at Riverside, everyday with him in his last 16 months was a bonus we got because they helped take good care of him, and taught me how to help him.
I don't know of any animal that so thoroughly enjoyed life like he did, and we feel fortunate that he got to share that life with us. He will be missed every day for the rest of our lives.
You were a good man, Monkey Man.
As a baby, my husband liked to flip Monkey onto his back, shake him and go "rawrrrrr!!!". This no doubt contributed to his crazy personality and aggressive play. He had a lot of energy. One day I found baby Monkey jumping up and down over and over by himself for no reason other than I guess he had excess energy to burn. He loved to play. Got a bit rough sometimes, we were always covered in scratches and bite marks, and occasionally blood...hubby had to go to the hospital once after Monkey stepped on his face, and I once got a black eye, but it was all part of having the Monkey. He LOVED his claws and had his own unfinished wood bookshelf to use instead of a scratching post. It now has huge chunks taken out of both sides and we will think of him whenever we look at it. He loved to climb, which is why he was known as Monkey. He climbed up people to sit on their shoulders. He pulled down every curtain rod on West Street swinging on the curtains. He had his own fancy office chair (now ripped to shreds) which he used to catapult himself on top the bedroom door - nothing like waking up to see him stare down at you before jumping on you like a tiny pro-wrestler. He used the towel bar on the bathroom to get on top that door, where he'd have to be rescued. He managed to get up inside the drop-tile ceiling and freak hubby out when he saw him staring down through the clear panel over the lights. We had to "Monkey-proof" the apartment but it didn't always work, like the time he managed to get into the extra paper towel rolls and rip them to shreds, walking around with the evidence stuck all over his paws. Monkey tried to keep cool when it was warmer by laying in the tub or the sink, but on one occasion that backfired on him. He loved to run from one end of the apartment to the other (sounded like a tiny horse), but one day he went to jump into the tub and "splash!". He was so traumatized, standing there dripping and trying to shake the water off like a little dog. While he was getting up to all his misbehaving, if you told him to stop, he'd just look at you like "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" and then carry right on misbehaving.
Monkey LOVED people, and loved when his people family came to visit him. He wanted to be everyone's friend. He got very distressed when workmen or delivery people came by and I had to put him in another room. He also hated it when his human was outside mowing the grass, shoveling snow or talking to someone. He had a sad meow that he didn't use too much, but if he couldn't get to people he meowed. He also loved to get nose to nose at the screen door with Gracie, the little dog next door.
Monkey loved his bro George, even though 2 more opposite personalities would be hard to find. George sports a rip in his ear due to playfighting that got out of hand about 10 years ago. Monkey felt bad about that, and was not so rough after that, but still had fun beating up his bro, whose fur would be flying. They also enjoyed a lot of "bro time", snuggled together somewhere. Monkey was very concerned about George's cleanliness and was always giving him a bath, which George didn't mind, unless Monkey started chewing on his ears.
Monkey loved people food. I don't know that Jones Donuts realizes how happy their lemon cookies made him. It was the last thing he ever ate. He loved Chef Boyardee, beef stew, soups and chowders of various kinds (esp. chicken corn chowder), alfredo sauce, pot pie, vanilla ice cream (it gave him shivers), popcorn, chips, pork rinds, lunchmeat, hot dogs, chicken, turkey, fish and was a connoisseur of Vermont made cheese (Cabot & Crowley being the faves). He would usually sit as close as possible and stare at you, but sometimes he wanted food now, and he would reach his claw out and poke you, sometimes repeatedly.
And Monkey loved us, and we loved him. He always wanted a snuggle or a hug, which could be a bit dangerous in his younger years when you might get bloodied, but as he got older he got mellower and could be snuggled and kissed without fear of injury. At night, if he wasn't snuggled with his bro somewhere, he was snuggled with one of us. He was so light - never much more than 7 pounds - that I sometimes didn't even realize he was there. He would lay on hubby's pillow and step on his face. In 2009 I was very sick in bed for 2 months, and he was always there to check on me and just chill. He also had a built in clock and always knew when his human would be home. He'd run back and forth between the kitchen (always running around the table) and bedroom, anxiously looking and waiting.
Monkey also loved catnip - you dare not put your hands near him if he was stoned because he turned into a dangerous maniac, the laser pointer, scratching his human's shoes, licking plastic bags, water from his cup, watching birds, feet (for snuggling or biting), ripping apart newspapers, pulling things out of the cubby holes and desk, his heating pad on his memory foam pillow, his towel rack, his office chair covered with stinky outerwear, the cat tree from granddad and the sunshine. He didn't love the alarm at the firehouse which would send him into a panic, and he hated all cats (except George), especially Kitty. He thought he was a tough guy until he had to be rescued from a desk after coming face to face with her. They had to be kept apart for their own safety.
In December 2012 Monkey was diagnosed with kidney disease and in March 2013 had a very close call. After that he was on twice a week sub-q fluids which he dealt with like a champ. He didn't like "pumping up days" but he rarely squirmed too much, and was never mad, always giving me a head bump afterwards and getting some sort of edible treat. He was doing really good with his kidney disease when suddenly he got very sick at the end of July 2014. He had a tumor in his bladder, and his bladder ruptured. He somehow survived 3 nights at the vets and came home for 2 nights, where he was spoiled with love and his favorite people food. We took him to the vets to say goodbye at noon on July 31, where he passed away peacefully in my arms.
Monkey is survived by his humans - me & hubby, and his brother George, who we promised Monkey we'd continue to take good care of. Also his extended human family - Granddad Barry and Grandma Nancy in Wisconsin, Grandma Cathy in Maryland, and Aunt Kiddo & Uncle Ahmad in Texas. Also the nice people at Riverside, everyday with him in his last 16 months was a bonus we got because they helped take good care of him, and taught me how to help him.
I don't know of any animal that so thoroughly enjoyed life like he did, and we feel fortunate that he got to share that life with us. He will be missed every day for the rest of our lives.
You were a good man, Monkey Man.
Jarvis (named after Jarvis Cocker), also known as Jarv, Jarverman, Count Jarvula (his fangs drew a lot of blood), Knucklehead, Monk, Monkey, Funky Monkey and Monkey Man, was born on the Grabowski Farm in West Rutland. In August 1998, he and his equally tiny brother George were brought to the convenience store where my husband was working. He was only supposed to pick one, but couldn't choose, so they both got a home, first in Center Rutland, then briefly on Strongs Ave. in Rutland, and then 12 years on West Street, before moving to his final home on East Street in 2013.
As a baby, my husband liked to flip Monkey onto his back, shake him and go "rawrrrrr!!!". This no doubt contributed to his crazy personality and aggressive play. He had a lot of energy. One day I found baby Monkey jumping up and down over and over by himself for no reason other than I guess he had excess energy to burn. He loved to play. Got a bit rough sometimes, we were always covered in scratches and bite marks, and occasionally blood...hubby had to go to the hospital once after Monkey stepped on his face, and I once got a black eye, but it was all part of having the Monkey. He LOVED his claws and had his own unfinished wood bookshelf to use instead of a scratching post. It now has huge chunks taken out of both sides and we will think of him whenever we look at it. He loved to climb, which is why he was known as Monkey. He climbed up people to sit on their shoulders. He pulled down every curtain rod on West Street swinging on the curtains. He had his own fancy office chair (now ripped to shreds) which he used to catapult himself on top the bedroom door - nothing like waking up to see him stare down at you before jumping on you like a tiny pro-wrestler. He used the towel bar on the bathroom to get on top that door, where he'd have to be rescued. He managed to get up inside the drop-tile ceiling and freak hubby out when he saw him staring down through the clear panel over the lights. We had to "Monkey-proof" the apartment but it didn't always work, like the time he managed to get into the extra paper towel rolls and rip them to shreds, walking around with the evidence stuck all over his paws. Monkey tried to keep cool when it was warmer by laying in the tub or the sink, but on one occasion that backfired on him. He loved to run from one end of the apartment to the other (sounded like a tiny horse), but one day he went to jump into the tub and "splash!". He was so traumatized, standing there dripping and trying to shake the water off like a little dog. While he was getting up to all his misbehaving, if you told him to stop, he'd just look at you like "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" and then carry right on misbehaving.
Monkey LOVED people, and loved when his people family came to visit him. He wanted to be everyone's friend. He got very distressed when workmen or delivery people came by and I had to put him in another room. He also hated it when his human was outside mowing the grass, shoveling snow or talking to someone. He had a sad meow that he didn't use too much, but if he couldn't get to people he meowed. He also loved to get nose to nose at the screen door with Gracie, the little dog next door.
Monkey loved his bro George, even though 2 more opposite personalities would be hard to find. George sports a rip in his ear due to playfighting that got out of hand about 10 years ago. Monkey felt bad about that, and was not so rough after that, but still had fun beating up his bro, whose fur would be flying. They also enjoyed a lot of "bro time", snuggled together somewhere. Monkey was very concerned about George's cleanliness and was always giving him a bath, which George didn't mind, unless Monkey started chewing on his ears.
Monkey loved people food. I don't know that Jones Donuts realizes how happy their lemon cookies made him. It was the last thing he ever ate. He loved Chef Boyardee, beef stew, soups and chowders of various kinds (esp. chicken corn chowder), alfredo sauce, pot pie, vanilla ice cream (it gave him shivers), popcorn, chips, pork rinds, lunchmeat, hot dogs, chicken, turkey, fish and was a connoisseur of Vermont made cheese (Cabot & Crowley being the faves). He would usually sit as close as possible and stare at you, but sometimes he wanted food now, and he would reach his claw out and poke you, sometimes repeatedly.
And Monkey loved us, and we loved him. He always wanted a snuggle or a hug, which could be a bit dangerous in his younger years when you might get bloodied, but as he got older he got mellower and could be snuggled and kissed without fear of injury. At night, if he wasn't snuggled with his bro somewhere, he was snuggled with one of us. He was so light - never much more than 7 pounds - that I sometimes didn't even realize he was there. He would lay on hubby's pillow and step on his face. In 2009 I was very sick in bed for 2 months, and he was always there to check on me and just chill. He also had a built in clock and always knew when his human would be home. He'd run back and forth between the kitchen (always running around the table) and bedroom, anxiously looking and waiting.
Monkey also loved catnip - you dare not put your hands near him if he was stoned because he turned into a dangerous maniac, the laser pointer, scratching his human's shoes, licking plastic bags, water from his cup, watching birds, feet (for snuggling or biting), ripping apart newspapers, pulling things out of the cubby holes and desk, his heating pad on his memory foam pillow, his towel rack, his office chair covered with stinky outerwear, the cat tree from granddad and the sunshine. He didn't love the alarm at the firehouse which would send him into a panic, and he hated all cats (except George), especially Kitty. He thought he was a tough guy until he had to be rescued from a desk after coming face to face with her. They had to be kept apart for their own safety.
In December 2012 Monkey was diagnosed with kidney disease and in March 2013 had a very close call. After that he was on twice a week sub-q fluids which he dealt with like a champ. He didn't like "pumping up days" but he rarely squirmed too much, and was never mad, always giving me a head bump afterwards and getting some sort of edible treat. He was doing really good with his kidney disease when suddenly he got very sick at the end of July 2014. He had a tumor in his bladder, and his bladder ruptured. He somehow survived 3 nights at the vets and came home for 2 nights, where he was spoiled with love and his favorite people food. We took him to the vets to say goodbye at noon on July 31, where he passed away peacefully in my arms.
Monkey is survived by his humans - me & hubby, and his brother George, who we promised Monkey we'd continue to take good care of. Also his extended human family - Granddad Barry and Grandma Nancy in Wisconsin, Grandma Cathy in Maryland, and Aunt Kiddo & Uncle Ahmad in Texas. Also the nice people at Riverside, everyday with him in his last 16 months was a bonus we got because they helped take good care of him, and taught me how to help him.
I don't know of any animal that so thoroughly enjoyed life like he did, and we feel fortunate that he got to share that life with us. He will be missed every day for the rest of our lives.
You were a good man, Monkey Man.
As a baby, my husband liked to flip Monkey onto his back, shake him and go "rawrrrrr!!!". This no doubt contributed to his crazy personality and aggressive play. He had a lot of energy. One day I found baby Monkey jumping up and down over and over by himself for no reason other than I guess he had excess energy to burn. He loved to play. Got a bit rough sometimes, we were always covered in scratches and bite marks, and occasionally blood...hubby had to go to the hospital once after Monkey stepped on his face, and I once got a black eye, but it was all part of having the Monkey. He LOVED his claws and had his own unfinished wood bookshelf to use instead of a scratching post. It now has huge chunks taken out of both sides and we will think of him whenever we look at it. He loved to climb, which is why he was known as Monkey. He climbed up people to sit on their shoulders. He pulled down every curtain rod on West Street swinging on the curtains. He had his own fancy office chair (now ripped to shreds) which he used to catapult himself on top the bedroom door - nothing like waking up to see him stare down at you before jumping on you like a tiny pro-wrestler. He used the towel bar on the bathroom to get on top that door, where he'd have to be rescued. He managed to get up inside the drop-tile ceiling and freak hubby out when he saw him staring down through the clear panel over the lights. We had to "Monkey-proof" the apartment but it didn't always work, like the time he managed to get into the extra paper towel rolls and rip them to shreds, walking around with the evidence stuck all over his paws. Monkey tried to keep cool when it was warmer by laying in the tub or the sink, but on one occasion that backfired on him. He loved to run from one end of the apartment to the other (sounded like a tiny horse), but one day he went to jump into the tub and "splash!". He was so traumatized, standing there dripping and trying to shake the water off like a little dog. While he was getting up to all his misbehaving, if you told him to stop, he'd just look at you like "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" and then carry right on misbehaving.
Monkey LOVED people, and loved when his people family came to visit him. He wanted to be everyone's friend. He got very distressed when workmen or delivery people came by and I had to put him in another room. He also hated it when his human was outside mowing the grass, shoveling snow or talking to someone. He had a sad meow that he didn't use too much, but if he couldn't get to people he meowed. He also loved to get nose to nose at the screen door with Gracie, the little dog next door.
Monkey loved his bro George, even though 2 more opposite personalities would be hard to find. George sports a rip in his ear due to playfighting that got out of hand about 10 years ago. Monkey felt bad about that, and was not so rough after that, but still had fun beating up his bro, whose fur would be flying. They also enjoyed a lot of "bro time", snuggled together somewhere. Monkey was very concerned about George's cleanliness and was always giving him a bath, which George didn't mind, unless Monkey started chewing on his ears.
Monkey loved people food. I don't know that Jones Donuts realizes how happy their lemon cookies made him. It was the last thing he ever ate. He loved Chef Boyardee, beef stew, soups and chowders of various kinds (esp. chicken corn chowder), alfredo sauce, pot pie, vanilla ice cream (it gave him shivers), popcorn, chips, pork rinds, lunchmeat, hot dogs, chicken, turkey, fish and was a connoisseur of Vermont made cheese (Cabot & Crowley being the faves). He would usually sit as close as possible and stare at you, but sometimes he wanted food now, and he would reach his claw out and poke you, sometimes repeatedly.
And Monkey loved us, and we loved him. He always wanted a snuggle or a hug, which could be a bit dangerous in his younger years when you might get bloodied, but as he got older he got mellower and could be snuggled and kissed without fear of injury. At night, if he wasn't snuggled with his bro somewhere, he was snuggled with one of us. He was so light - never much more than 7 pounds - that I sometimes didn't even realize he was there. He would lay on hubby's pillow and step on his face. In 2009 I was very sick in bed for 2 months, and he was always there to check on me and just chill. He also had a built in clock and always knew when his human would be home. He'd run back and forth between the kitchen (always running around the table) and bedroom, anxiously looking and waiting.
Monkey also loved catnip - you dare not put your hands near him if he was stoned because he turned into a dangerous maniac, the laser pointer, scratching his human's shoes, licking plastic bags, water from his cup, watching birds, feet (for snuggling or biting), ripping apart newspapers, pulling things out of the cubby holes and desk, his heating pad on his memory foam pillow, his towel rack, his office chair covered with stinky outerwear, the cat tree from granddad and the sunshine. He didn't love the alarm at the firehouse which would send him into a panic, and he hated all cats (except George), especially Kitty. He thought he was a tough guy until he had to be rescued from a desk after coming face to face with her. They had to be kept apart for their own safety.
In December 2012 Monkey was diagnosed with kidney disease and in March 2013 had a very close call. After that he was on twice a week sub-q fluids which he dealt with like a champ. He didn't like "pumping up days" but he rarely squirmed too much, and was never mad, always giving me a head bump afterwards and getting some sort of edible treat. He was doing really good with his kidney disease when suddenly he got very sick at the end of July 2014. He had a tumor in his bladder, and his bladder ruptured. He somehow survived 3 nights at the vets and came home for 2 nights, where he was spoiled with love and his favorite people food. We took him to the vets to say goodbye at noon on July 31, where he passed away peacefully in my arms.
Monkey is survived by his humans - me & hubby, and his brother George, who we promised Monkey we'd continue to take good care of. Also his extended human family - Granddad Barry and Grandma Nancy in Wisconsin, Grandma Cathy in Maryland, and Aunt Kiddo & Uncle Ahmad in Texas. Also the nice people at Riverside, everyday with him in his last 16 months was a bonus we got because they helped take good care of him, and taught me how to help him.
I don't know of any animal that so thoroughly enjoyed life like he did, and we feel fortunate that he got to share that life with us. He will be missed every day for the rest of our lives.
You were a good man, Monkey Man.
