I had to make a routine trip to the veterinarian soon after
Pretty Kitty passed on. But when I came in – she was crying.
She had to euthanize her own 9 month old kitten.
It had neurologic problems she was nursing it through – the
problems got so severe they had no other real options.
She had just done it that morning.
She told me again how difficult this month had been for
her – loosing Pretty Kitty and her other favorite patient then
her own kitten.
But Dara also told me that she and I had to get another cat.
I told her again I have five more at home a dog a rabbit and
the rabbit now owns a pet guinea pig in case she forgot.
She told me she had 9 – now 8. But she also said
that a new cat will never replace our kitties we lost or
dishonor their memories.
She told me that she felt Pretty Kitty was holding on here
until I was ready to let her go.
She feels Kitty knew she would die – but wouldn’t die until
I was ready to let her go. She also said that watching
what I went through holding on to her nursing Kitty and
all the love I gave Kitty – that Kitty wanted me to let go now.
She said Kitty wanted to move onto heaven and wanted me
to let go because there are so many thousands of homeless
animals with no one to love them the way I loved Kitty.
Dara said Kitty wanted to move over to heaven and let me
give another unloved and unwanted cat that love .
She said my heart has many rooms and now one is empty.
This all made sense – so I kept going by PetsMart
(all the local shelter animals are shown there) and the local shelters.
My heart was not in it – I wanted to find the perfect cat that caught
me and fit into the place Kitty vacated – but my heart wasn’t in it.
I couldn’t find one I really wanted to take home.
Yesterday while browsing the internet I found two red tabbies like
Kitty at a new web site. Ironically the shelter that had them listed
was the same one that rescued Kitty and nursed her after she
was rescued from the Drain Pipe.
And it is right on my way home. So as I passed it – my
car turned into the parking lot almost by itself.
I walked through the kitties – again no one caught my eye particularly.
The orange kitties were adopted. There were two very out going
older female kittens who were lovely.
One was extremely outgoing and vocal.
I looked at them a bit – I wanted to love and want one of them – but
didn’t really want them.
Once again – almost but my heart just wasn’t there with them.
As I was leaving at the bottom of a large floor cage was a
buff and white male tabby bicolor who was just lying
down and sleeping.
I passed close to him and he reached out his paw from the cage to me.
I stooped down and he reached out of his cage and placed his
paw on my leg. So as I reached into pet him he rubbed his
head into my hand and began purring loudly.
The volunteer immediately noticed what happened and
came over and took him out. He reached over to me with his body
into mine and as I held him he stretched out his face sniffed
my face and kissed my mouth.
The volunteer was shocked – they knew he was a lovey but never
saw such behavior as this from him.
His cage card said Bob. They have no history on him – stray.
Appeared out of no where. As I was leaving I asked how long
he was there expecting he came in with a large group of cats
that had just arrived from the county shelter.
He had been there since before Christmas.
He was there when Pretty Kitty and I came back to visit
them and brought Christmas presents to their kitties there.
On their bulletin board as I was leaving was a picture of
Pretty Kitty just before she got sick again lying under their
Christmas Tree surrounded by the presents she brought them
and stuffed animals.
They had taken the picture of her that day.
It was like she was watching the whole thing.
It was so strange.
When Bob came home that night – it was as though he was raised here.
My other cats were immensely curious about him – but
accepted him wonderfully. He wasn’t frightened or nervous.
He was extremely outgoing and curious.
Bob walked all over the house investigating smelling
and greeting everyone and everything in it.
The dog sniffed him and jumped back expecting to be bopped
like all my other cats do to her – Bob sniffed Dottie’s nose
and kissed Dotty. Bob tried to make friends and show affection
to everyone – including the rabbit and the rabbit’s guinea pig.
But the rabbit is very protective of his guinea pig and attacked
poor Bob.
Well – some things take time.
Pretty Kitty always loved my son – and honestly is the
only animal besides the rabbit that does.
She always thought of Chris as her own kitten.
So this has been extremely painful to him.
I was nervous expecting Bob to run from Chris.
So I was shocked when I saw Chris come down the hall
with Bob in his arms and Bob was purring and nuzzling Chris.
All the pain had melted from my son’s eyes.
At supper Bob did something only Pretty Kitty had ever done
(and gotten away with). He jumped onto my son’s lap at the
supper table and began eating his buttermilk pancakes
from Chris’s dish. Chris just stroked and nuzzled him.
At bed time Bob curled on Colleen’s pillow and slept
curled around her head – but sometime during the evening
he slept on each of our beds with us.
We decided Bob was an ill-fitting shelter name – such a well
mannered and loving southern gentleman needed a name that fit him.
We have renamed him Beau.
As we were walking Dottie last night Colleen looked up and
saw Nonna and Nonno’s stars Ringo’s star and Pretty Kittie’s red star.
   |
She said “Look Mom Pretty Kittie’s star seems more twinkly tonight.
It is winking red then white.” I somehow felt she had been
behind the whole thing if this is at all possible.
Maureen Dell’Olio
| Pretty Kitty |