I became Pywackette’s Mommy in January of 1990. She was so tiny! She could fit in the palm of my hand. She was the sweetest little kitten I had ever seen. For most of her kittenhood, she stayed in my lap or held in my arms every chance I had. She had a sister, Jasmine,
who was 3 years older.
As she grew, she would follow me everywhere I went around the house & be at the door to greet me every evening after work. If she was out of sight, all I had to do was call her name & she would come running to me. And she talked! She talked & talked & talked!
Py was an expert hunter & loved to go outside whenever possible. When we moved into a different house a few years later, she proved to me what mouser she really was…that Fall I found out where all the field mice liked to live during the winter…my kitchen cupboards! However, much to their chagrin, Py made short work of every one of them. For about 2 weeks straight, everyday when I would come home from work there would be little mouse carcass “presents” for me. One day, I counted 5 of them~! I would even hear her at night opening the cupboard doors & clamoring over the pots & pans to get to her next mouse. One time she was chasing one through the house & her sister Jasmine was sitting next to the wall. Jasmine just watched the mouse run right by her…so close it practically touched her fur & never lifted a paw! But that’s Jasmine…mousing is beneath her! At the end of that 2 weeks, I never saw another mouse in my house!
The house The Girls & I lived in at the time had an atrium in the center that was completely open with the rest of the house built around it & a huge deck off of the back. There was a giant cottonwood tree that came up & over the roof. Py would climb the tree & stalk the roof for squirrels! I would tell her that they were teasing her & she might as well give up. But one day I came home to a half-eaten squirrel carcass “present” on the front doorstep. She had actually caught one! I always knew it was her kill because she would eat only half…the front half & leave the rest for me. LOVELY! I guess she thought I’d eventually acquire
a taste for mice & squirrels.
A few years later I married a man who wasn’t exactly a “cat person” but he understood completely that if he married me, he also married my cats! It was a package deal. A year later, we all moved across the country…from Oklahoma to New york. The Girls had to live in an apartment for 4 long years. Two of those years with a (human) baby! At times, I was able to take Py out on a leash & let her prowl around but it was nothing like what she had been used to. How could she hunt on a leash?? But at least she could be outside, which made her happy.
We finally bought a house last year on over an acre of wooded land. Py was in paradise!!! She would bring me presents almost everyday & even one of our neighbors commented on how she was culling down the mouse population in his woodpile. She also made short work of the mole population in our backyard! And that was no small task! There’s a lot of territory to cover! Luckily, she only brought me a bird one time…after that, I always double-checked the stairs on the deck to make sure there wasn’t a surprise waiting for the next person who came out the back door. But she was so happy!! And she never stopped talking to me & loving me…She slept by me every night.
Two weeks ago (11/15/03), I had to go out of town for an Aunt’s funeral. The day after I arrived for the funeral my husband called. Something was wrong, I could tell by the tone of his voice. He wanted me to call him back as soon as I got back to my hotel room. I panicked…my first thought was something had happened to our son. I made him tell me what was wrong. His voice broke as he told me that Py had been hit by a car & killed instantly. She had gone across the street to a field that is directly across from our house. Apparently, when she started back she was must’ve been running from something & not paying attention to the road. She ran right out into the street just as a car came by. My husband was stunned when the lady who drove the car came our door to ask if we had a cat. He just knew it couldn’t be Py. But it was…
He & my son (who is 3 1/2) buried her the next morning. He picked the perfect spot…There is a grove of pine trees about half-way to the back of our property. One of her favorite prowling spots. He made a hardwood cross to mark her grave & read a verse from Psalms…”the Lord is my shepard, I shall not want…”
I got home 2 days later, still in shock & not able to completely grasp that my Py was actually gone. It was very late but my husband wanted to show me where she was buried. He grabbed a flashlight & I followed him to the spot. I stood there looking at the cross, not wanting to believe this was really happening. I began to cry, but they were not tears of grief they were tears of shock & disbelief. My husband had clipped some hair from under her chin & put it in a small plastic bag for me to keep. He told me that she had just looked as if she were asleep, there had been very little blood. She had died instantly. It should’ve comforted me that she didn’t suffer but I still couldn’t believe it…She had been my baby for 13 years. She was part of me. I was numb. I never got to say good-bye…
The following week I would look out at the grove of pines…I kept expecting to see her walking across the backyard. I missed hearing her voice, feeling her laying next to me at night, giving me that beautiful Py look when I held her & rubbing my face. I would break into tears at the drop of a hat. The week after that, I was finally able to mourn for her…I still am & probably will be for a long, long time. I have her tuft of fur on a bulletin board directly over my computer. I see it everyday. But I still have not been able to go back to her grave yet…Maybe tomorrow I will buy some flowers for her grave & light a candle in her memory during the Candle Light Ceremony…