Depressed cat commits suicide

Hancock County continues to mourn over the loss of one of its most beloved
felines: Blackie. His short, but promising, life came to an end early
Thursday morning when he threw himself under the tire of a backing car.
Details are still sketchy, but friends and family say he went into a deep
bout of depression after losing the best in show award at the International

Barbecue Festival to his arch-rival Simon.

"He wasn't right after losing to Simon," Blackie's friend Tom said. "He
wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep-all he did was fret over losing the contest."

The exact details as to how he ended up under the tire are still shrouded in
mystery. The driver of the vehicle agreed to an interview on condition of
anonymity.

"I really don't know what happened," the driver said. "I loaded my dirty
clothes into the car, checked behind the car to make sure it was clear, got
in and started my car. I moved about five feet when I felt a gentle thump."

The driver said he continued backing his car, then noticed Blackie turning cartwheels in his drive. He then realized the gentle thump he heard was the
tire rolling over the cat.

"I really don't know what I could have done differently," the driver said.
"Maybe Blackie crawled on top of the back tire as I started. Though I checked behind my car. Do you have any idea how hard it is to see a black cat sitting on top of a black tire on a black car?"

Regardless of how the tragic accident happened, friends and family are still
devastated by Blackie's death. Several are still in a deep state of shock.

"Man, I don"t know what I am going to do," his best friend Tabby said. "I
can't believe he is gone. We were tight-like brothers. We went everywhere
together."

Tabby then broke into tears, dove into a bowl of fresh catnip and began
drowning his sorrows. Blackie's girlfriend Prissy contacted the paper a few days later, and offered some comments.

"We were to be married in the fall," Prissy said. "We already picked out a
new home, Blackie lined up a new job, everything was purrfect. Why did he
have to enter that stupid contest? Why?"

With those remarks, Prissy darted from the room and no one's seen her since.
Authorities are still investigating the incident, but don't expect to file
any charges against the driver. They say all indications point to Blackie
committing suicide. That comes as welcome news to the driver of the vehicle.

"I didn't hit Blackie on purpose," he said. "He somehow managed to dive under my tire without me seeing him. I don't know what I could have done to prevent this tragedy."

One thing is certain about this tragic incident. Hancock County won't soon
forget Blackie.

Learn more about this author, Ralph Dickerson Jr.
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