Two years ago, my darling little cat Shelly was diagnosed with a slow growing but lethal brain tumor. On April 22nd, she died, at the all too young age of four and a half. I had thought that knowing so far in advance that she would not live to see old age, that it would be easier for me deal with it. But when the time came, it wasn't. I have not been able to stop crying over her for two days. I placed a large rock on her grave, and around this I am going to plant a ring of tiger lillies in honor of her memory. Shelly was the sweetest, most gentle and affectionate cat I have ever known, and I miss her more than I can say.
April 22nd seems to be a day for bad things where cats are concerned. When I was 12 years old, my cat Isis (named in honor of the black cat from the Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth") was killed by a driver charging out of a long driveway at 30+ miles an hour. A few years ago, also on April 22nd, I lost an entire litter of kittens to hospital aquired distemper. Call me superstitous, but this day is beginning to feel like some evil cosmic point in time.
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Greetings, fellow animal softie --
ReplyDeleteMy deepest condolences on the loss of your fur-legged darling. I lost my Siamese to cancer over 17 years ago, and still cry over her. You're not alone in your love of animals. Oh, what kind of horse? I had horses for 20 years, until they both had given up of old age. That wasn't easy, either, but at least they were long-lived and healthy for the duration. And no, I no longer have any critters (my husband developed allergies to cats and dogs both, so we gave up), so once in a while I have to visit friends who have fur-legged "kids" that I can roll around on the floor with and get my fix of slobber and hair. So, just for me, give your darlings an extra cuddle tonight please; it will make me feel better knowing they're happy! And you too, of course. Hang tough, girl, but you know that already.
Thank you so much for your kind words on this event. I miss Shelly terribly, but somehow nature always finds a way to give back when she has taken something from you. Afew days before Shelly died, one of our semi-tame barn cats gave birth to a small litter of "Hemingway cats"......kittens with six toes and an extra bone in the first toe that makes it look like a thumb. I have decided to take one of these kittens as soon as it is old enough. The one I have chosen is all black, a male, the runt of the litter, and oddly enough, the only one with normal feet.
ReplyDeleteMy horse is a BLM mustang with strong Spanish breeding. She is short backed, with a level croup and a crested neck, and overloaded with attitude. She is smart to a fault, and I am constantly having to retrieve her from our nieghbor's haystack because she has found some new way to escape her enclosure!
Your horse sounds like a handful, but the best ones are. I've never had the chance to ride such a configuration (I had American Standardbreds, and spent lots of time on Quarter Horses).
ReplyDeleteAnd why not one of the polydactyl kitties, rather than the only "normal" one? But hey, I had a dachshund when I was young who was the runt of her litter, and had only a nub of a tail, so, runts are wonderful, too.
Best to you and all of your menagerie. Oh, any chance of a picture of your horse?
I carry a really good photo in my Daytimer....I'll see if I can figure out how to upload it here.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the kittens, I was first drawn to the color. As their personalities develop, things might change.....I don't know.