Dusklun Burmese - Our Story

WHERE DID ‘DUSKLUN’ EVOLVE? MY HERO - OF COURSE! ‘DUSKY’
Well actually the ‘other’ man of my life also played a role Luna, hence the ‘Lun’ as the suffix! My Blue Tonkinese was the absolute hero of my life. He was so loving and very faithful, even as I discovered after his parting, but I will tell you about that later on - it’s priceless! I was in the 5th grade at school and I remember when we had saved like mad to buy a kitten. I so very much wanted a Brown Burmese but mum said that we didn’t have enough money, so $25.00 later I settled for a Blue Tonkinese. Little did I know I was in for the relationship of a life-time. Dusky was very timid for the first few days, hiding all the time from us, but mum said to be patient, (and mum is always right, even today) so patient I was. Eventually Dusky became more and more brave venturing out and sitting on my lap until I eventually got to show him off to the neighbourhood. As I put together this story, I look back at some of the numerous photos I have of his life, from a tiny baby through to his 18 or so years with me. Boy, did we have some times together and all of my friends knew Dusky - where ever I was in the neighbourhood, Dusky was usually two steps behind me and everyone just accepted it. While I was in primary school, my brother and I would walk down the street to school, and sure enough, two steps behind me was Dusky. He’d follow me to the end of the street and then sit on the corner until I was out of sight. In the afternoon, when it wasn’t raining of course, I would come over the rise to the corner of our street, and there was Dusky - faithfully waiting to walk home with me. It was funny when I went to high school as I walked in the opposite direction and it took him about a month to get a grip on that one. I used to get the evil eye, flick of the tail, silent treatment, you name it from him, as the routine had changed without his consultation. However in time, walk with me up the street he did and in the afternoon as I came over the hill, there would be Dusky, waiting on the corner to walk me home. In the later 70’s I began to show Dusky in various Domestic Shows. Those days there were more than 100 domestic exhibits at these dedicated shows, and they even catered for unregistered pedigree cats! Dusky did extremely well winning numerous best in shows, then known as ‘Best Shorthair Male’. Dusky was of course spoiled and so very much loved, when it came to show time he used to carry on vocally when I was out of sight, everyone could hear him. (Remind you of anyone!) Dusky was also very possessive and when it came to me bringing home ‘other men’, well didn’t that put a spanner in the works. He was so confused that he used to just give everyone the silent treatment, walk around and flick the tail and just sit and stare with those evil eyes at anyone that dare take my attention. He wouldn’t sit at a distance and stare, he would sit right at their feet as if to say, hey I was here first, I am number one! Possessive, well he was also very jealous. One long week-end we looked after some kittens, so my attention was not all focussed on Dusky. Well, Dusky soon fixed that, the silent treatment, bashed up the neighbour’s cat, his friend of many years and then we didn’t see him for a few days. I was frantic. Eventually he came home, after the kittens had left, and over the next day or so I thought gee, you’re putting on the weight, but he wasn’t really eating. Oh well, I just went about things as normal and noticed a few days later, Dusky was not well at all. We took him to the vet and discovered that Dusky had refused to go to the toilet since the long week-end. I couldn’t believe it and the vet agreed with me that this was a protest! So after a few hundred dollars, a week in hospital, Dusky came home and we never minded any other pets again! Dusky had made his views quite clear so I just accepted that, it was too expensive to ignore. With all of Dusky’s possessive and jealous ways, Mum has always said to me that Dusky not only lives on in our breeding prefix but in "Shintaro" my well known brown Burmese neuter. He is so much like Dusky - jealous, possessive, loud, naughty, demanding and even looks like him at times, particularly when he has the s--ts! Over the years I have begun to believe mum, nothing would surprise me when it came to Dusky. In July 1992, I eventually had to make the most painful decision to euthanaise Dusky, cancer had finally beaten him, Dusky was 18 years old. It got to the stage where Dusky would not lay down and rest in eternity. My vet said, (yes the same one that treated him for ‘waste build-up’ years ago), that Dusky was only living for me and in my heart I knew this. Dusky was given a full family funeral with satin cushioned filled coffin, flowers, prayers and much emotion. He is at rest in my mother’s garden, beneath a red rose called ‘The Greatest Love’.
A few years after Dusky had passed away, I met up with one of my neighbours and her parents at a party. I didn’t really get along with her when I was younger, she was one of the real cool tough types, (huh not these days) who used to tease me, have her brothers gang up on me and call me names etc on the way to and from school. Well, Dusky used to see all of this didn’t he. It was at this party where I learned that Dusky ensured that this family got what he considered they deserved for upsetting me. The father of my friend, Mr X, asked me what ever happened to Dusky, and I explained he had passed away. He told me that his family never forgot him as they hated him so much. They could never work out how he got into their house and then used to s--t on my friend’s brothers pillow or at his bedroom door, and it was always very loose and smelly. Well, I laughed my head off and he said ‘what are you laughing at, it’s no laughing matter - what do you have to say for yourself’ and I replied, ;’He was faithful to the end!’ Mr X looked at me in disbelief and I explained that Dusky was possessive and protective and probably didn’t appreciate your family poking fun at me so he evened up the score!
So, what more of a hero can a person have than Dusky. He was just unique in everyway. He lives on continually in my memory, and probably in ‘Shintaro’. Jose and I thought it was only fitting to name our breeding prefix in his honour, and all I can say is what an honour it truly is. Rest in peace my Hero, Dusky. He is probably still watching over me, so if you’re thinking of ‘teasing ’ think again! Jose and Josephine Luna ‘Dusklun Burmese’