“I remember when I first saw you…
You were in a cage in the animal shelter, that was much to small for you, they had shaved you nearly bare, removing all but a small amount of your silky long fur, but you never complained…
As we walked past, you had your paw reached out as far as you could and rubbed the bars so hard I was sure they would fall off..
You caught our attention and hearts and
you never let them go…
We had gone there looking for Pouncequick
our other cat who had come up missing,
but us leaving the shelter
empty handed was not what you had in mind…
While everyone else was making a fuss
over the baby kittens
you made sure we paid attention to only you..
Your love and persistence won us fast..
As we were grieving the disappearance
of another, even in your prison, you brought comforting reassurance that all would be well…”
“You came home with us and we were all happy.
From the first moment, we felt like you were already part of our family. You immediately took to us, and just wanted to be loved. I don’t remember a time you weren’t longing to be in our laps. A few days after, we were still trying to decide what to call you and your daddy said
that when all your hair grew back you would be as fluffy as a teddy bear, you looked up at him all excited, and so the name became your own.”
Teddy Bear was 16 years old and had Advanced Liver Disease, due to old age.On Feb 3rd, 2007 we took Teddy Bear to the vets and said our good byes…Even as we placed him on the table with heavy hearts, he looked up and kissed our faces..
It breaks my heart each time I think about it,
HE was comforting US…It didn’t take much or very long for him to pass on, and he was finally at peace. His ashes are scattered at Sleepy Hollow Pet Cemetery near here. On the day he passed on, he weighed only 5 pounds.. it was time.. The disease had taken away over half of his body weight, he was not eating normally for many months..We did all we could, but he was just getting worse…
We realized we are reminded of Teddy Bear, in the strangest places and times…Sometimes we are sure we have heard him calling, purring or seen him rubbing on our leg.. It seems nearly every night for the last couple of nights I have woken up crying…I have been haunted by the song they were playing in the vets office that day and I can’t get his final kisses out of my mind…
We DO miss him more that we ever thought possible, and there is a emptiness in our hearts..
Yes we know he is in a better place..But it hurts so much more than we ever thought it would…
He will be missed very much, we grieve as if he were our own child, because to us he was more than just a cat, he was a companion, a family member, and he was our baby…
Always Remembering,
| Teddy Bear |
| Charles & Margaret |