In Memory of Cash:
It was love at first sight for both of us.
He took me by surprise.
He walked into my life and
when I picked him up he put his head
on my chest and closed his eyes as if to say –
“Finally! I’ve found you!”
He was my baby.
My furry, little baby.
He loved to sleep on my lap and
he loved to cuddle, especially
when it was cold.
When he was asleep,
he would curl his head inside my cupped hand
so that his throat was exposed –
a total picture of trust.
He was my friend.
I talked to him as
if he was a person and
he would talk back –
in that strange cat language
he had of meows and purrs.
Sometimes he sounded like a bird.
He was not aloof.
He greeted me at the door
when I came home,
practically wagging his tail like a dog.
I would pick him up and
hug him to my chest –
just like the first time we met.
He would lean against me for a minute
with his eyes closed –
then, of course, he would want to be fed.
He loved to eat
strange things for a cat.
He loved cheese, especially sliced provolone and
he loved corn on the cob.
When I ate cereal
he would try to grab the lip
of the bowl with his paw and
pull it towards him to see
what was in the bowl.
Of course he also loved tuna!
Cash loved the backyard,
but I think he also loved me.
When I stood on the deck and called him,
he would come running up the stairs towards me,
meowing excitedly as if to say –
“It’s so good to see you!”
He made me laugh and
he made me love him even more
as the years passed.
They seem to pass too quickly.
We were together for 14 years.
At the end, he made me cry.
I didn’t want him to leave,
but I didn’t want him to suffer either.
I insisted on being with him
when they euthanized him.
I held him and kissed his head and
told him everything would be all right and
that I would never forget him.
Jerry and I buried Cash in the backyard
he loved so much under
a pile of flat stones we brought back from Canada.
I dug the grave by candlelight
and buried him with his favorite brush
and a can of cat food
to send him on his way.
I like to think he’s now somewhere
chasing birds and butterflies.
Somewhere where there is always a shaft
of sunlight for him to lay in –
curled on his back with his belly exposed – a total picture of contentment.
I still picture him running
up the back stairs meowing excitedly
as if to say –
“I can’t wait to see you again!
Hey Boo! Whatsa matter for you!
| Cash McCall |
| 7, Sep 2005 |
| Veronica Seizys |