Early March this year is bittersweet; last year at this time, we lost the sweetest and most innocent of kittens. Punkin' and her sister P.J. (as we later named them) were the tiniest balls of fluff in the animal shelter, curled up together in the corner of their small cage, while dogs stuffed in numerous other cages, barked all around them. These kittens had not been adopted, because they both had badly infected eyes. Punkin', the smaller of the two, was improving but I knew at best she'd be taken from her sister, and P.J. would be put to sleep. They were so closely bonded, that it wasn't a difficult decision to take the pair home. Both were delightful kittens, but Punkin' was, I'll say without fear of being proven wrong, the sweetest little cat that there ever was. When she wasn't with her sister, she'd follow me everywhere, waiting for me to sit down so she could hop up on my lap and purr. When I'd lay down, she'd crawl up on my chest, and lightly place a single tiny paw on my cheek, then contentedly fall asleep.
The unraveling was subtle at first; Punkin' just didn't seem to grow much, then became a fussy eater and slept more. The diagnosis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis left us heartbroken and helpless, and in two months she was gone, still barely more than a kitten. The last day of Punkin's life, her sister held her tight all day, licking her and snuggling her, not wanting to let her go, but Punkin' took a deep breath, curled her little paws, then relaxed and died.
On a slight knoll overlooking the pond, there is now a large, grey rock in the garden, marking a spot. There is a small plaque on the rock, with a single word on it... Sweetheart.
It is a special soul that adopts the animals "nobody else wanted".
ReplyDeleteThough not a cat person, I did rescue a Yorkie last year and I can't remember life before her!
God bless!
Those little furbabies do worm their way into our hearts, don't they? I was once asked when I was heartbroken over losing a beloved boxer if I had known how bad it was going to hurt to lose her if I would have still gotten her, I had to answer yes without hesitation.
ReplyDeleteMy cheeks are still a little wet... sounds like you were lucky to have her for the short time she was here, and vice-versa.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think of myself as a big toughie, but I really miss that little cat. We're lucky to have her sister, though... her one eye never got completely back to normal, and I know she never would have been adopted.
ReplyDeleteDon
A sad, sad event. We have had two cats die fairly recently but they were well into old age. Also one of our neighbor's cat who loved our place better than its home died under the stairs of our deck. Very sad as it died of some kind of wasting disease. Instead of a plaque or gravestone/marker, we have started to plant trees above the graves of our pets. A crabapple graces the grave of one and a yoshino cherry the other. We thought the cats' spirit would be imbued in the trees. If that's not the case at least the trees would hopefully have a good source of nourishment. Waste nothing.
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