Prokopowicz Family

Who Are Florkus?

Florkus is shorthand for "Floyd and Dorkus". They are both domestic shorthairs and are both extremely cute and very tame and gentle. Both of them spend most of their time sleeping, eating, and getting stroked. Not a bad life.

More About Floyd

• We are very sad that we put Floyd to sleep on Friday, March 1, 2002. He had been eating very little, but otherwise seemed OK until Friday morning, when we could not find him. We looked all over the house for 20 minutes and finally found him behind the powder room door next to the radiator. Bonnie picked him up and stroked him, relieved to have found him until she noticed that he was not purring at all. She put him down and he could not stand up. We took him to the vet and she thought that his potassium level had dropped and that with some potassium he'd rally, but that turned out not to be the case. On a more full examination, she found a mass in his kidney and an x-ray revealed that he was not absorbing pills he had taken. She said that was a sign that his body was not functioning properly and recommended euthanizing him, which we did. He was a great kitty who helped us through some hard times in our lives. He is buried in our side yard, next to Dorkus, his best buddy. Because he and Dorkus were such an important part of our lives for so long, we have left their pictures and history on our web page. We miss them both very much.

• We got Floyd in July 1986 from the Humane Society in Chicago.

• He's a grey striped tabby with white fur on his chest, tummy, and paws.

• He's always lived indoors.

• His front paws are declawed.

• At one time he weighed 18 pounds, but as of this writing (December 1999) he's 10 pounds.

• We've recently learned that Floyd has kidney disease. Only one of his kidneys is functioning and that's why he's lost so much weight recently. He's in no imminent danger, and we're giving him subcutaneous fluids to help keep him healthy.

• Floyd is a "people cat" -- he's always wherever the action is. He doesn't usually like to be held for a long time -- he's kind of restless and always moving.

• His tricks include chasing the light from a flashlight, and now with his more slender figure, he's taken to chasing his tail quite often (it used to be he couldn't see it past his great girth).

• Floyd loves to drink water from the sink, and every morning while Bonnie is showering and getting ready for the day, he joins her in hopes of a drink. Then he abandons her like so many rags and joins Pete for a second drink.

More About Dorkus

• We are very sad that we put Dorkus to sleep on Monday, June 25, 2001. He had been in renal failure for a while and seemed listless when we took him to the vet, who discovered that his kidney problem had gotten much worse. She started him on intensive IV fluid treatment, but then discovered that his heart was not in good shape either, for he developed a pulmonary edema because his heart could not keep up with the fluids. We chose to euthanize him because we felt it was the kindest treatment for him. We went to the vet's office to say goodbye and were sure we made the right decision: he was clearly suffering. He was a wonderful kitty for almost 18 years and he deserved to be at peace. He is buried in our side yard, where we plan to plant something special in his honor. Because he was such an important part of our lives for so long, we have left his pictures and history on our web page.

• We got Dorkus in October 1983 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was born to the mom-cat who lived in the house whose basement apartment Pete rented.

• How did he get that funny name? We didn't originally plan to keep Dorkus, but instead chose Sam, who was the runt of the litter. No one took Dorkus, and he kept coming downstairs (through a hole in the staircase -- don't ask!) to visit his sister, Sam. At the time his ears were large compared with the rest of his face, and he looked kind of dorky, so we took to calling him Dorkus. Well, we soon fell in love with him and we kept him too. Sadly, Sam died from a congenital heart problem in 1986, after we had moved to Chicago. We got Floyd to keep Dorkus company a month later.

• Dorkus is all black (well, he's got a few gray hairs too) with bright green eyes. As of this writing (December 1999) he weighs about 13 pounds.

• He was an outdoor cat in Ann Arbor, and was quite the cat about town. He had fans everywhere who would call us when they'd find him far from home asking whether they could keep him. When Pete moved to a different apartment, he travled quite a distance to visit his pals in the old neighborhood. We now shudder to think that he often crossed busy State street!

• When we moved to a high-rise in Chicago in 1985, Dorkus became an indoor cat, and he seems not to mind his more sheltered surroundings.

• His front paws are declawed (this occurred after he had been an indoor cat for several years; we'd never do that to an outdoor cat!).

• Dorkus is not as much of a people cat as Floyd, but he's a real lover and will sit in one's lap for quite a long time. He's a little afraid of kids, choosing to relax under the bed when they visit.

• One of his favorite hiding spots in winter is behind the couch next to the radiator; he spends hours and hours there, and the back of the couch in that spot is covered with fur (you can't see it unless you move the couch away from the wall!).