Goodbye dear girl.
She was named “Witje”, Whitey, at birth because her fur was pure white. During her final year, the color went slowly out of her black face-mask. She survived a mysterious illness of which her sister died almost two years ago. She remained fragile after that ordeal. But very cute and adorable still.
She would sleep in my lap in the evening when I was working on your packages, she would eat her morning food on the kitchen counter next to me while I would be preparing my work lunch; she has wanted to be near us all the time. She was a “people” cat until the end. She loved us and we loved her back.
Last week she stopped eating, and three days ago she would no longer drink. She was a strong girl, that she managed to hold on to life for so long. She slowly faded from consciousness to deep sleep until she would no longer respond to our voices and we knew the end was not far off. But while she was awake and still able to walk she wanted to stay with us, never tried to find a quiet spot and wait for the end like her sister.
We let her sleep inbetween us during her final two nights, and now she’s gone and leaves an empty space in this household.
You will be missed.
So long Witje, sweet package’s Fairy.
May your new life in Cats’ Paradise be happy…
HP
;(
Sorry for your loss, Eric. She’s at better place now..
I am so sorry for your loss Eric. Rest in peace sweet Witje.
I could not find more beautiful epitaph than poems from Charles Baudelaire:
http://fleursdumal.org/poem/155
http://fleursdumal.org/poem/132
http://fleursdumal.org/poem/146
Cheers, Didier ????
I hope that the emoticon U+1F63B can go through.
Really sorry, sad day…..
I’m sorry to hear. Kitties do become part of the family…
Sad day Eric, memories is what we get from precious pets as your cat.
I had one, for only 10 days, and was enough to start loving it, so I only can imagine what this lost mean to you and your family after this years of having it…
My condolences, because, as I and my family, sometimes we love more our pets, as they become part of the family…
Only memories stay with us until the end reaches us…
I’m sorry for your loss, Eric. We recently lost one of our cats after 15 years of being a family member.
“No more cats”?!, IMPOSSIBLE.
My oldest daughter is about to bring Mr. Grey (British
shorthair), Bellatrix (a beautiful 1/2 Persian with a very strong
temperament: nomen est omen) and Muaci (1/2 British with a
Munchkin-like, short-legs mutation: we do not care) in this
household—to join Pia (1/2 Japanese bobtail) and Topolone (1/2
Oriental bicolor).
Pia which I love in spite of (or even BECAUSE OF) her fierce,
difficult at time character… NB that she allowed me to localize
(by attacking it) and then capture a bungarus (a venomous snake,
fortunately not aggressive during daylight) under a table in my
house, once.
I am sorry Eric 🙁
Your sorrow is felt through the wonderful words you wrote. Whitey was clearly one of the family and you were attached, as we all become attached to our cats. May she rest in peace.
We had to let go of our street cat Rubbish last year, she is sorely missed so your words ring true and we feel your loss.
What a beautiful and kind cat.
Sorry dear Eric.
Eric,
Both cats have lived the best lives they could live, and I would
dare to say that yours have even managed at it *successfully*
after all, each cat accordingly to her capabilities, nature and
*choice*. (To let us understand, it even seems, though I have
never observed it, that cats CAN—which implies that there are
those who don’t—purr when they are about to die.) Look at it
under this more heartening perspective!, death is not turning a
switch off simply, even among animals.
But now is now: hey, are you mad to stay without cats?!! (And I
am not talking of replacing, but of complementing and renewing.)
Purr [wiki]
Of interest:
Another theory states that purring triggers a cat’s brain to
release a hormone which helps it in relaxing and acts as a
painkiller. [RELAXING?, I could confirm that from my own
experience with cats: at the veterinarian, when cats fuss between
them, etc.]
Scientists at the University of California, Davis hypothesised
that a cat’s purr can be used as a healing mechanism to offset
long periods of rest and sleep that would otherwise contribute to
a loss of bone density. The vibrations and contractions of a purr
work during both inhalation and exhalation show a consistent
pattern and frequency around 25 Hz; these frequencies have been
shown to improve bone density and promote healing in animal
models and humans.[14] Dr. Lyons, one of the scientists in this
study, suggests that this finding may be applicable to astronauts
during extended periods in zero gravity. Bone density loss and
muscle atrophy is a serious concern for astronauts during
extended periods at zero gravity. During these periods
musculo-skeletal systems do not experience the normal stresses of
physical activity, including routine standing or sitting, which
requires strength for posture control. Exposing these astronauts
to sound frequencies similar to those of a cat’s purr could
counteract the deteriorating effects of low gravity.
I am sorry Eric. I thank Witje for the company she gave you all these years. I’m confident she’s in a better place now.
Awe, sorry Eric. =[
Sorry, Eric. May she rest in peace.
Sincere condolences, Eric. The only problem with cats is that they never live long enough.
Eric, so sorry to hear of your loss. My wife & I have been through it many times with our past feline companions. It is never easy, especially with one who is so attuned to their human caretakers…peace to your family.
My condolences, Eric. I’ve buried quite a few cats over the years, and I know how hard it is.