Matisse was special from day one. At the home for animals that were not shelter ready, there she stood in her cage. Soft pastel calico, one eye, meowing for love and affection. My mother fell for her immediately. I remember holding matisse as the stitches were snipped from her eye that had been sewn closed after removal of her eye. She’d been abused, left in the cold to suffer frostbite and uncertain fate by a cruel hearted individual…she had chapped paws and no fur on her ears from the severity of the frostbite she endured. Nevertheless, Matisse was the most cuddly and sweet cat you could ever hope for.
She’d won our hearts instantly with her affectionate demeanor. Matisse was always right there, wanting to be held or pet or just happy to be laying in your lap. She was wonderful, always truly happy as if she were thanking us for all we had done for her. How could you resist that one lonely eye staring up at you and purring and meowing for some love? She was so pleasant to be around.
Years passed by, our friends slow down as they enter the senior years of thier lives. Matisse hardly showed signs of slowing at all. She still loved her play time in the grass outback, and loved to dig holes in the mulch or dirt. One of her favorites was diggin a hole and rolling around in it. It was cute to see this lil pudgy kitty having so much fun.
It was about august this year when I saw a change in Matisse, our normally pudgy kitty was thinning out. As the next two months went by, we realized this was more than just a little weight loss, she’d lost more than one third of her body weight. The appointment at the vet concluded our worst of fears… kidney failure. Life was now a precious and fleeting thing…moments slipping by as the clock ticked down. We had no idea how long we would have with her yet but were determined to do what we could to make it happy and comfortable. Three weeks of IV fluids at home and an altered diet were all in futile attempts, it did little to change her affliction. Saturday night my brother found her, in my parents room… she was in the midsts of having a stroke. It was the beginning of the end. Everyone headed to the vet across the valley to finally give Matisse her final peace, she was nearly gone upon arrival, and it took little to give her the rest she so deeply deserved.
I never got to say goodbye, I was at work the night this happened. The news when I arrived home was enough to bring me to my knees and just cry. We will all miss her, I wish I could have pet her one last time and tell her it was ok to leave us, but I’ve got great memories that will last a lifetime. That is the most precious thing that Matisse gave me, gave us. Matisse, we love you, the pain is still fresh and we will always miss you. You remain in our hearts, for always.