Cats, love & goodbye
The date of October 19, 1990 will be one day that I will never forget. Sue and I were hosting a small get together for the people who had helped re-do our basement into a little slice of paradise. We had just finished having a hot tub installed in a small room that also had a stereo and tv for relaxation. There was much more to celebrate and shortly I would present Sue with a present that would endure for years.
It had been three years since our two Siamese cats, Kenny & Cumby had been euthanized and it had been difficult for both of us to conceive of ever having cats enter our lives again. Now seemed like just the perfect time to spring a surprise on Sue that I had been thinking about for some time. That day, after work, I went to a breeder in West Springfield and brought home two of the most beautiful little puff balls of Siamese love that one could imagine and ensconced them in a box in an upstairs spare bedroom.
When the party finally wound down, I mentioned to Sue that wouldn't it be wonderful to have kittens messing up our lives again. She looked at me quizzically as I hinted there may be something she would want to see in the upstairs bedroom. You have never seen a person fly up a set of stairs as did Sue at that moment. As she opened the box and beheld her new found kittens a surge of happiness and pure joy enveloped us both. She would name them Ginger and Nutmeg(forever to be known as 'Meg'). It was a sweet moment to be cherished in pictures and memories.
Ginger & Meg would spend their time romping about the house then collapsing as kittens do to recharge their batteries to set off on new search and destroy missions. This we didn't mind--they were companions and friends as all our pets have been. Their rejuvenation, character and sibling rivalry made little inconveniences seem as nothing.
In time, as we moved from one house to another, they graced our new abodes with a familiarity and skill that made them seem like members of the family. They even accepted Skippy, our bookstore cat, with ease and comfort. Their presence in our home seemed as if to be a constant--never to change, but there as we knew they would always be.
The span of time, however, doesn't stop for people or pets and doesn't much care for the consciousness of the here and now. Meg was Sue's cat spending evenings curled up on her lap and nights snuggled warmly in Sue's bed. Ginger had grown used to my lap and the warmth of my side of the bed. They were a joy to us that money could never buy.
We saw illness and old age in Meg first.This malady for cats that eventually strikes all felines as they progress through the years is kidney failure and this too would take Sue's dear friend in July, 2007. Sue's loss, and mine no less, was devastating to her for Meg was a true companion. She was part of Sue and would be so no matter the passing of ages. Ginger would be the same for me. I could not imagine not having her by my side.
As it is with all things, to comply with the circle of life we must all submit; Whether it be human, or feline. And so it is, on this beautiful sunny day, February 11, 2010 my beloved Ginger, my Pa-Putty Cat, entered her timeless sleep. I shall cherish the time I had with her. I am at peace knowing I helped my little friend overcome her earthly bond. She soars now, a spirit free to keep my memories of her next to my heart, forever.
Goodbye, sweet cat. For I will never forget you.
The date of October 19, 1990 will be one day that I will never forget. Sue and I were hosting a small get together for the people who had helped re-do our basement into a little slice of paradise. We had just finished having a hot tub installed in a small room that also had a stereo and tv for relaxation. There was much more to celebrate and shortly I would present Sue with a present that would endure for years.
It had been three years since our two Siamese cats, Kenny & Cumby had been euthanized and it had been difficult for both of us to conceive of ever having cats enter our lives again. Now seemed like just the perfect time to spring a surprise on Sue that I had been thinking about for some time. That day, after work, I went to a breeder in West Springfield and brought home two of the most beautiful little puff balls of Siamese love that one could imagine and ensconced them in a box in an upstairs spare bedroom.
When the party finally wound down, I mentioned to Sue that wouldn't it be wonderful to have kittens messing up our lives again. She looked at me quizzically as I hinted there may be something she would want to see in the upstairs bedroom. You have never seen a person fly up a set of stairs as did Sue at that moment. As she opened the box and beheld her new found kittens a surge of happiness and pure joy enveloped us both. She would name them Ginger and Nutmeg(forever to be known as 'Meg'). It was a sweet moment to be cherished in pictures and memories.
Ginger & Meg would spend their time romping about the house then collapsing as kittens do to recharge their batteries to set off on new search and destroy missions. This we didn't mind--they were companions and friends as all our pets have been. Their rejuvenation, character and sibling rivalry made little inconveniences seem as nothing.
In time, as we moved from one house to another, they graced our new abodes with a familiarity and skill that made them seem like members of the family. They even accepted Skippy, our bookstore cat, with ease and comfort. Their presence in our home seemed as if to be a constant--never to change, but there as we knew they would always be.
The span of time, however, doesn't stop for people or pets and doesn't much care for the consciousness of the here and now. Meg was Sue's cat spending evenings curled up on her lap and nights snuggled warmly in Sue's bed. Ginger had grown used to my lap and the warmth of my side of the bed. They were a joy to us that money could never buy.
We saw illness and old age in Meg first.This malady for cats that eventually strikes all felines as they progress through the years is kidney failure and this too would take Sue's dear friend in July, 2007. Sue's loss, and mine no less, was devastating to her for Meg was a true companion. She was part of Sue and would be so no matter the passing of ages. Ginger would be the same for me. I could not imagine not having her by my side.
As it is with all things, to comply with the circle of life we must all submit; Whether it be human, or feline. And so it is, on this beautiful sunny day, February 11, 2010 my beloved Ginger, my Pa-Putty Cat, entered her timeless sleep. I shall cherish the time I had with her. I am at peace knowing I helped my little friend overcome her earthly bond. She soars now, a spirit free to keep my memories of her next to my heart, forever.
Goodbye, sweet cat. For I will never forget you.
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