Kitty is gone. She went peacefully. The vet came to my home so she was able to “transition” while remaining in her own familiar space. I am now officially a little old lady without cats. Kitty was a one-person cat with absolutely no social skills. She came into my home with one of my housemates and her companion cat Mario. Mario was a friendly, curious, and adventuresome cat. Kitty, on the other hand, spent the first month in the closet. Eventually she came out into the living room cautiously crouching along, with her belly touching the floor. She was lured by my housemate’s nearly empty yogurt container. Kitty was very skilled at carefully licking the remaining yogurt from the container until her head had completely disappeared into it, and then emerging without a single speck of yogurt anywhere on her. Eventually I adopted Mario and Kitty when my housemate moved to live with a person who was allergic to cats. By that time Kitty had gotten used to me and was battling with Mario for lap time. She became a total lap cat and survived until the ripe old age of 18, outliving Mario by two years. I will miss the comfort of her warm furry body curled up in my lap as I watched the latest PBS Masterpiece Mystery. I will miss the way she slid her little head under my hand and pressed her forehead into my palm for “pets.” I will miss her loud yowls that sounded like she was actually saying words. They were words I couldn’t identify, but they had a variety of distinct vowel sounds like, ah, ow, oo. I know she was trying to communicate but I was never able to translate it. What masterful thoughts were in her little walnut-sized brain? She was certainly opinionated. I find myself sighing as a walk around my house. There’s no cat hair on the furniture, sigh. There’s no fluids in an IV drip bag to be administered subcutaneously, sigh, no cat box to be cleaned, sigh, no fishy smelling cat food to be dished out, sigh. I didn’t think I would miss those things but I do. It made me feel good to take care of her, but she doesn’t need anything from me anymore. Now I only have to take care of myself. Somehow it doesn’t give me the same feelings as taking care of someone else. I need to find another outlet for giving, and caring, and loving. It just seems uncomfortably self-centered to only be taking care of myself. I don’t think I am cut out to be a little old lady without cats. Kitty’s motto to live by: Naps are essential and seek the sun
1 Comment
Virginia ( Ginny) (Norlund) Andre
10/28/2021 01:15:40 pm
I am in tears…..😿My Marco just crossed the Rainbow 🌈 bridge 3 weeks ago. I sooooo empathize with you! You truly should probably go get another sweet adult cat that needs you. We are going to a place in Hastings , Mn that lets You come pet any of their shelter dogs/cars/ferrets/birds/whatever… no committment… ( unless that pet “ chooses you” 😍) … and we might go more than once… we shall see. Blessings on you. You are not alone in your grief. :-(
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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(from an entry posted on 5/1/2015) “I definitely fit some of the characteristics of a little old lady with cats: Retired - check, Single - check, Like to knit - check, Have cats - check. . .I do not want to get stuck in my Little Old Lady persona, however. In fact, this blog is a risk taking experiment in exploring and redefining what I want my retired life to look like.” Categories
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