Velcro
1992 – 2010
She had a great day on Saturday. I took her to the vet to have her electrolyte balance checked and the vet even commented that she seemed to be doing surprisingly well.
I had no plans outside the house, so she spent most of Saturday sleeping on my lap while I read a book.
On Sunday morning, I could tell that the previous day had been her last rally. When I woke up, I found her wedged beneath our wire CD rack, tangled in the electrical cord of the lamp. I gently freed her and put her in her bed on the floor. The next time I went in the living room, she had gotten herself tangled up under the table again. After I rescued her for the second time, she never had the energy for another attempt.
When my husband came downstairs, I told him to make sure to pet her before he went to bed because he probably wouldn't have another chance. He started to brush me off and say that I'd made that prediction before, but once he'd had a good look at her, he came back in the kitchen and said he knew I was right.
I had a lot of things on my agenda and as I bustled around the house cleaning and baking, I kept stopping by to pet her and see if she was still breathing. By the late morning, it was clear that she was no longer aware of her surroundings.
I didn't see any value for either of us in sitting around staring at her all day, so I went ahead with my volunteer shift with the adoptable cats at Petco. Later in the afternoon I attended a book club meeting and when I called my husband on my way home, he told me she was gone.
Of all the cats we've had, she was the first to go quietly on her own at home, rather than be euthanized at the vet's office. Fortunately we'd had a week or so of warmer weather, so my husband and I were able to dig a hole in the back yard to bury her. I'll plant some bulbs there as soon as I get a chance.
As sad as we are, we realize that we were fortunate to have her for the extra two weeks after her initial medical crisis. She had a rough start in life – found tied into a pillowcase in a Salvation Army donation box – but she had loving homes, first with my mother and then with us after my mother died.
Still, we'll miss her. She was definitely one of the good ones.
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