This afternoon on Tuesday February 9th, 2021 — My companion, friend, and son Dredg transitioned from our physical plane of existence. This marked a close to my longest, deepest friendship. Afterwards I went to be alone in the woods and it occurred to me that the best way to honor him is to immortalize his story so everyone can know and so the story will be permanently existent in written form. This of course is a very condensed version… but think of it as “Dredg – Greatest Hits”
The stories about him that if you didn’t know, you shouldn’t miss…
HE CHOOSES ME
It’s somewhere around the end of the summer, 2005. I was working as a delivery driver for domino’s pizza. One day there is a bunch of kittens around the dumpster scrounging for food. I noticed none of them seemed to have much presence of mind — But one little gray one looked me right in the eye, and seemed much sharper mentally than the others. “You’re something special aren’t ya” I said to him before going in the store to bring him some water and meaty pizza toppings.
Shortly thereafter I am on my way out to make a delivery and as I’m getting into my car, this little gray kitten comes over to my door door and says meow. “What’s up buddy, wanna come with?” I asked. He immediately hops in the car and off we go. All day, each time I returned to the store to get the next order, i’’d open the door for him and say “c’mon time to hop out.” Dredg would just look at me with this face like, “Why would I do that?”
So we deliver pizzas all day and he never gets out of the car. Well eventually, he’s got to pee. I’m on the way back from a delivery and I have the “Heat Wave” delivery bag on my passenger seat. Dredg comes up and mindfully pees only on that bag, not a drop got anywhere else in the car. I pull over, brushed it off in the grass, and washed it later. But I thought… man, that was actually really mindful and considerate.. You’re a keeper.
THE THREE “DRs”
During this time in my life, I experienced a Spiritual Break-though (for lack of a better term) which is a whole different long story. Staying on track with the story — essentially after having this breakthrough, “spirit” (for lack of a better term) granted me three gifts. All three of the gifts started with “DR” and spirit went on to describe the intention of each one.
Dreads – “The locks are a symbol of what you stand for unwaveringly. You may have to wear a suit to a funeral, shave your face for court — but they’ll never take your locks”
Drums – “Your ability to drum is your platform and means of communication — so your message will always be heard”
Dredg – “Your companion of unconditional love”
… And that, truly Dredg was. In fact, he is the most literal example of any creature being 100%, true unconditional love that I have personally ever known in my life. Dredg has never attacked anyone (outside of play), has never made aggressive moves toward another dog/cat, has never chased a bug, has never hunted any bird or mouse. One time he was saying in the grass outside and a chipmunk went by. Dredg just kinda looked at it like “huh, how about that,” but showed zero interest in chasing/hunting it.
Moreso, he’d love you fully upon you first meeting him. He might curl up in your lap wishful trust like he’s known you his whole life. He loved like it was his duty. Sometimes if friends are over and we’re all loosely sitting in a circle talking, Dredg would commonly be centrally located in that circle like “I’m here and available for pets” or other times he’d actually make rounds around the circle going from person to the next.
One time there was a spiritual teacher over at my house, who was going to be a workshop presenter at a music festival I was helping with at the time. I was telling him about Dredg truly is the most literal example of any creature being 100%, true unconditional love that I have personally ever known. He replied “Hm, he really sure does have a lot to teach us.”
That left such an impression on me, that though this little cat is such a generally simpler creature — he was also simultaneously, profoundly wise to an extent that most humans can’t hope to achieve.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
Dredg and I were together for 16 years. When he found me, I was still living at my parents house.
• He was with me for my first apartment
• Then moving to the big city (Cincinnati) to play music
• Then to the beaches of Wilmington NC, where I created my own music festival: r.EVOLution Festival — and did that for 4 years bi-annually (Spring/Fall)
• Then these final years right here, in Asheville NC
Dredg lived at every house, befriended every roommate, cuddled every girlfriend, met every friend — He was there for every step, every detail.
THE CLOSING OF OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER
This recent past Christmas (2020) I went to Florida for a week to be with my parents. During the time I was gone a cancerous tumor developed on Dredg’s left side of his hip and onto the bone of his back left leg. Just in that week or so time span, the tumor had already grown to about the size of a bar of soap. Specialists wanted to surgically remove the tumor followed by weekly radiation treatments. This route was 10’s of thousands of dollars, was a very extreme surgery that would remove half his hip and his whole back left leg, and the radiation treatments were 1.5 hours away, each way. All this would only accomplish extending his life.. at best 2-6 months. Feeling pretty clear that went the path I wanted to take, I scheduled an appointment with another Vet Oncologist Specialist… but they were booked up… til yesterday. in the meantime, another tumor appeared, was pressing on his bladder making him pee blood, and the tumors were beginning to grow up his spine.
On the way to that appointment, I already could feel in my gut that we were about to say goodbye. I just knew it. About 5 minutes from the oncologist appointment, the Genesis song “Ripples” randomly came on — which is about growing old and passing on. Not long after, off he went the other side.
I’ll never forget him, I’ll never deserve him, things will never be the same, and he will never be matched.
I love you Dredgie, thanks for always being by my side for such a long and wild ride
More Dredg Stories, Pictures, Videos, & Links:
Link to Dredg’s FaceBook page: Dredg The Cat
(https://www.facebook.com/dredgthecat)
Getting his head stuck in the jar of ice cream:
Dredg not getting enough attention:
I’ll be adding more over time. But perhaps you have a photo/video/story you’d like added to this page?
Email it to me @ michal@best-ears.com and I’ll put it on here