Aug. 1990 ——– May 15 1991
Cat
I WAS A TEENAGER AND IN A SCHOOL IN A NEIGHBORING
PART OF TOWN WHEN I GOT MY “OWN” FRIEND TO CARE FOR.
I WAS LOOKING THRU THE LOCAL PAPER ONE DAY WHEN I NOTICED
A LADY IN THE SAME AREA OF TOWN AS MY SCHOOL
HAD PLACED AN AD FOR FREE KITTENS.
I HAD CALLED INQUIRING ABOUT THEM. SHE GAVE THE ADDRESS
AND A DISCRETION OF THE KITTENS MOST BEING BLACK AND
WHITE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE BEING BLACK AND WHITE
WITH FAINT TABBY MARKINGS.
I KNEW WHEN SHE SAID THAT THAT THAT KITTEN WAS MINE.
THE NEXT DAY AFTER SCHOOL I WENT UP TO HER HOUSE,
NOBODY WAS HOME. JUST THEN A NEIGHBOR OF HERS
CAME IN AND LET ME IN AFTER TELLING HIM THE SITUATION.
HE SAID THE KITTENS RAN IN THE HALL WHEN SHE WAS AT
WORK. AMONGST THE KITTENS ABOUT 6 IN ALL IT WASN’T LONG
BEFORE I FOUND “THE KITTEN THAT WAS MEANT TO BE
MINE” BUT WHEN SHE SAW ME SHE RAN AND TOOK COVER
UNDER A CHAIR. I GOT OVER TO HER AND SWOOPT HER UP.
SHE WAS SCARED UNLIKE THE OTHER OVER FRIENDLY SIBLINGS.
IT WAS A FALL COOL DAY AND I!
DIDN’T HAVE A CARRIER SO I PUT HER IN MY COAT TO KEEP
HER WARM AND TO KEEP HER FROM GETTING ANY MORE SCARED.
I TOOK HER HOME WHERE WE HAD AN OLDER CAT AND WAS
HOST TO SEVERAL STREET CATS IN THE AREA.
WHEN OUR OLDER CAT SIZED HER UP SHE AUTOMATICALLY
MOTHERED HER FOR A FEW MONTHS BATHING HER AND
FOLLOWING HER AROUND. SHE EVEN TOOK NAPS LIKE A LITTLE
KID ON MY BED MOST MID DAYS.
I EVEN GOT A RABBIT WHO WAS BORN AT PRETTY MUCH
THE SAME TIME SO THEY WERE REALLY CLOSE IN AGE WHO WENT
OUTSIDE IN A DOOR SIDE GARDEN AND SHE WOULD EVEN
POUNCE AROUND HIM AND BAT AT HIS EARS THAT STUCK UP.
SHE WAS A BEAUTIFUL KITTEN WITH THE TABBY MARKINGS AND
THE BLACK AND WHITE COAT OF HERS. BUT SHE ENJOYED
GOING OUTDOORS. NOBODY IN THE FAMILY KNEW THAT THERE
WOULD BE ANY DANGER FOR THE CATS CONSIDERING THAT
OUR RESIDENCE WAS SOMEWHAT REMOTE AWAY FROM
BUSY STREETS. BUT WE DID LIVE NEXT TO A MOVING TRUCK
COMPANY WHERE THEY HOUSED SOME OF THERE BIG
MOVING TRUCKS. SHE LOVED GOING OVER THERE AND PLAYING
AROUND ON THE BIG TIRES. ONE MAY EVENING SHE DID
SOMETHING THAT WAS SORT OF UNUSUAL.
SHE HOPPED UP ON A CHAIR NEXT TO MY BED AND WENT
TO SLEEP. SHE NEVER SLEPT THERE. THE DOOR TO THE
ROOM WAS BEING REPAIRED SO SHE COULD’VE LEFT
ANYTIME SHE WANTED BUT WAS STILL THERE THE
NEXT MORNING. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP.
I WENT OVER TO HER SHE LOOKED UP WITH A SAD LOOK ON
HER FACE. I PICKED HER UP AND TOOK HER INTO THE KITCHEN
NOT REALIZING YET WHAT HAPPENED OR EXPECTING
ANYTHING WRONG. I PUT HER DOWN BUT SHE COULDN’T STAND
ON HER BACK LEGS. SHE WOULDN’T EAT.
I THEN CALLED THE VET. THEY SAID SHE NEEDED TO COME
IN RIGHT AWAY BUT WOULDN’T SEE HER BECAUSE THEY
NEEDED PAYMENT UP FRONT. AFTER A FEW HOURS,
SHE COULDN’T EVEN STAND AT ALL.
I THEN CALLED THE VET AGAIN AND AFTER DISCUSSING WITH
THEM THEY DECIDED TO SEE HER ANYWAY.
I CARRIED HER TO THE VET THE SAME WAY I TOOK HER HOME
IN MY COAT TO KEEP HER WARM AND COMFORTABLE
AND ALSO LIKE MANY OTHER TIMES I TOOK HER OUT W/ ME.
THE VET SAYS SHE HAD SWOLLEN KIDNEYS.
WHICH MEANT KIDNEY FAILURE. SHE SAYS IT WAS NOT COMMON
FOR 10 MONTH OLD KITTENS TO DEVELOP THIS WITHOUT
INGESTING SOMETHING FATAL LIKE POISON OR ANTIFREEZE.
SINCE WE LIVED NEXT TO A TRUCK COMPANY WHERE SHE
PLAYED OFTEN IT WAS ONLY CLEAR TO SEE THAT SHE MOST
LIKELY PICKED SOMETHING UP THERE.
I SPENT A HALF HOUR WITH HER TALKING TO HER TELLING
HER SHE WAS MY BABY AND EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS ONLY
WITH ME A FEW MONTHS I STILL LOVED HER ALL THE SAME
AS IF SHE WAS WITH ME FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
IT ALSO OCCURRED TO ME THAT MAYBE “IT WAS MEANT TO BE”,
MAYBE SOMEONE ABOVE LOVED HER TOO AND IT WAS JUST
HER TIME. AND ALSO THAT WHEN HER BUDDY SPIKE THE RABBIT
AND FLUFFILY HER MOTHERLY COMPANION HAD THERE TIME COME,
THAT THEY WOULD COME BE WITH HER UP IN ANIMAL HEAVEN.
LATER I TOOK HER REMAINS HOME AND BURIED HER IN A FRIENDS
YARD THAT OVERLOOKED A SMALL PARK WITH A POND.
ON OCCASION I VISIT THERE AND LEAVE SOMETHING FOR HER
TO ALWAYS REMEMBER HER BY!
Mary
.
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