Splatcat

[crazychicknlady]

When I was a kid we got a kitten from some friends of ours. At first my Mom thought it was a girl. Her rationale for letting us talk her into getting yet another cat was she figured it could be a replacement for our oldest female at the time. Little Cat was probably 14 or 15 years old so we thought she wouldn't last that much longer.

As it turned out the kitten was a male and one of our young males (Spider was about 3 years old) died unexpectedly a few months after we acquired the new kitten, Little Guy. Little Cat lived till she was 19 years old.

I always felt like Little Guy came to us because Spider was going to die soon.

It seems things have worked out in a similar way with me and cats again.

New Cat came to us about a month and a half ago. Splatcat died a few hours ago. She had been ill for the past few weeks. We hoped she would pull through, but tonight she came out of our closet and we could tell she wasn't going to last the night.

H got to sit and pet her for several hours. I also got some good time with her in between keeping C and S from getting too restless. We all got a chance to say our goodbyes and Splatcat got to be with family right before the end. She was 14 years old.

We buried her under M's apricot tree.

Comments

[catnip13.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry! Big hugs to all of you and my condolances.

[harmonyheifer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I am so sorry. They wrap their fuzzy little paws around our hearts with or without our permission, don't they? It is so hard to say goodbye when their time comes. But they give so much affection and joy I can't imagine living without them just to avoid the pain of someday seeing them pass away, leaving us behind to cope with their sudden absence from our lives.

I was thinking about the curse of the Timelord the other day, to continue to live while those around him aged and died generation after generation. This train of thought was prompted by the episode in the Library, which did a very good job of putting the Timelord lifespan in human terms and the implications of it were haunting. Every once in a while human can experience what it is like to outlive companions, not on a Timelord scale, of course, but the loss of just one dear friend or a beloved pet makes me wonder at the burden of grief this mythical character carries, not just for his vanished race, but for those flawed but beloved humans who travel with him and make his life a bit less hollow and empty. Does he look at them the way we look at our pets? I sometimes think that is very much the case.

Science fiction ramblings aside, I know that my cats have been there for me over the years in ways that people seldom were, and I think it is wonderful to have pets when you have children. Cats make wonderful companions and most of them are so tolerant of the little ones. I remember the two cats we had when Eli was a toddler. They adored their "human kitten," and allowed her to manhandle them in ways they would never have tolerated from anyone else. I know that as long as I remember the many pets I have had and honor their memory, they will continue to live on in my heart and the sadness I feel that we are no longer companions will fade with time. For me there will always be new animals to love and by doing that I honor the pets I have loved and lost.

I believe that is the highest honor you can give any departed pet. To know that you will someday have to say goodbye to the new kitten or cat you are now just learning to love, but not even considering avoiding that emotional connection because you know from experience that the rewards outweigh the grief you will someday feel. Love is never wasted.

Hugs to all.

[crazychicknlady.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your wonderful, thoughtful sentiments.

New Cat came up to me last night while I was writing those posts, and she purred and licked me and let me pet her. Then she tried to settle down on my keyboard.

[harmonyheifer.livejournal.com]

New Cat is probably sensing your grief and offering her condolences in her own little pussycat fashion. The night K'Eylahr died, Vicky got in bed with me and curled up under my chin and purred and licked my tears away, as if to say. "It will be okay, you still have me," and indeed, I still do."