Saturday, February 21, 2015

A Tribute to Miss Kitty



My beautiful Maine Coon kitty is gone.

I named her Miss Kitty. My daughter had Mr. Kitty. He's gone too.

I had to put her down last week after she suddenly became lethargic, disoriented and stopped eating. She was a vibrant kitty of a little over 15 years just a few short weeks ago....

 
This picture was taken when Miss Kitty finally came upstairs after hibernating in the basement for two weeks. She did that every now and then but this time I was fearful she was sick because of her age. During that time she only came out from on top of the duct work long enough to eat, so my husband was the only one to see her.
 
You see, 15 years ago he surprised me at Christmas with the most adorable kitten I had ever seen, and I have had cats all of my life. He said that he would take care of her by feeding her and taking care of her litter for the rest of her life.
  
 
 And he did. She would run upstairs every morning around 6:30 a.m. to have her scratching time with him.
 
When it came time to take her to the vet, knowing she was dying, I was the one to do that.
 
She spent the last month of her life upstairs everyday and was the most cuddly, loving kitty. She seemed to want to be with us! It did cross my mind at the time to take note of this because she could be gone at anytime. As I look back, I am so happy for that extra time with her. It was too cold to go outside so she spent all day and night inside with us, occasionally gazing out the parlor windows.
 

I always thought of her antics as her being just a silly kitty. But I think most kitties are silly and do weird things. Like if there is even just a corner of something to sit on, she will.
 
 
Or if she sees an open computer, and especially with paper on it, she's there!
 
 
I told the story in a recent post of how she just had to lay on any box that was around. It was her favorite thing to do.
 
 


One year I decided to bring all the boxes of Christmas decorations up at the same time. She was in her glory!




She was the typical aloof, couldn't care a bit cat, but she had to be in on the action wherever it was taking place. The baby doll is one my son had to take care of for a weekend as part of a Health class project. We were all avoiding it because it was so annoying, but she was right there with it. Sitting on a piece of paper on the floor no less. Did she want to be near the doll and the action or did the piece of paper just happen to be near the doll??!!

 
She only hung out in my work packing station once! I had to get a picture before I chased her away!
 


How can I stay mad at this kitty?

 

I had a scare a few years ago when she disappeared for almost two weeks in November and it just happened to be the year when we had unusually cold temperatures. I looked everywhere for her but living in a village, it was too much ground to cover. I finally put a flyer up in a local gas station and I got a call from a girl who thought she saw her. Across Main St. behind some apartments is an area where a lot of kitties hang out, mostly because this girl feeds them. I never got to talk to the girl, it was all through phone messages and we kept missing each other because she worked odd hours.

I went looking for my kitty behind those buildings and although there were a lot of cats, none were Miss Kitty. At least I hoped she was being fed.  I wanted to give the girl some money for feeding the cats and to encourage her to keep doing it since mine was one of them, but I never connected with her. I tried to get her to try and catch my cat and call me but after a while of not hearing anything I kind of lost hope.

Then one warmer day, I was getting ready to go out when I heard a car drive up outside, the door opened and then shut and the car drove away. I went to the door and there she was! Miss Kitty was home and not in bad shape at all. I didn't even see a car drive off down the street. To this day I believe an angel brought my kitty home! I don't remember giving the girl my address, yet she was dropped off in front of my house. She didn't stray too far from our yard from then on.

 
Miss Kitty had her cat friends too. She was the queen cat and the others were her subjects. Two or three cats would hang out on the lawn around the chair she was perched on. They would all just sit there and .....sit there! It was the funniest thing!
 
If she wasn't outside she would keep track of her friends through the windows on the side of the house facing the yard and front porch. She would run back and forth from one end to the other to see where they were.
 
For several nights after she was gone, her Tabby kitty friend stood outside our windows on the porch meowing very sorrowfully. Somehow she knew.

Her favorite Summer lounging spot...


It is too soon to get another kitty or two (one for me, one for my husband!) but maybe by this Fall.

I have to think about Miss Kitty and let the memories play around in my mind a little longer.

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these fine blog parties:

Pink Saturday
Best of the Weekend

31 comments:

  1. What a sweet tribute to your Miss Kitty! It's amazing how much love and joy they bring to our lives and how empty they seem when they are gone. My Charlie is 16 and I treasure each day with him. Hugs to you and your husband!

    Linda

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  2. I'm so sorry for your lost. It's truly like losing a member of the family - sometimes even worst. Our four legged babies give us unconditional love which we just can't replace. I enjoyed reading about Miss Kitty and her antics. You have lots of wonderful memories! When I was growing up, my Dad cut an opening in our kitchen door so our male cat, Dumps, could go and come as he pleased. Sometimes I would get up in the middle of the night for a drink of water and find lots of neighborhood cats sitting around in the living room as if they were having a meeting. So funny and I'll never forget that image.

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  3. She was the lovliest kitty! What beautiful pictures.
    My Seraphena is my companion and has to be in on all action. My sewing room chair is her favorite, especially if I have just been sitting there .
    I am so sorry you had to make the decision to put her down. I know how very difficult this is. Take comfort in the joy and love you gave to her.

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  4. So sorry for you and the loss of your fur baby, AnnMarie. RIP, Miss Kitty. xo

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  5. Awwww, what a sweet tribute to Miss Kitty. She was definitely a gorgeous cat. Pets can mean so very much to us and can hurt so very badly to lose them. I am so sorry, my heart goes out to you in your time of pain and loss. May God comfort your heart and bring you peace.
    Sending hugs,
    Gina

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  6. What a nice tribute to your sweet Miss Kitty. I'm so sorry that you had to say goodbye to such an important part of your family. We had to say goodbye to our dog Buddy a few weeks ago, he was 17. It's always so difficult!

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  7. AnnMarie I am so sorry about the loss of your sweet Miss Kitty. She is such a beautiful cat and my heart aches for you. I know how hard it is to lose our precious fur babies. Thinking of you and sending thoughts of comfort your way.
    Hugs, CM

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  8. I'm so sorry for your loss. We had a "Miss Kitty" (black and white tuxedo kitty), called her Miss Snitty because she was such a grump and had a meow that sounded like James Cagney. But boy, how she loved my son. We adopted her a couple of months prior to his birth. She was totally his cat, she loved him so. I hope when you do decide to adopt you'll work with a shelter. There are so many cats who need a good home just like yours.

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  9. What a sweet tribute to your old friend, AnnMarie. I'm so sorry for your loss, but you have taken advantage of a wonderful grieving process. Thanks for letting us all be a part of it. You'll be in my thoughts--

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  10. I am so so sad and terribly sorry you lost your beautiful Miss. I have a Maine Coon rescue kitty named Romeo and I cannot fathom even thinking about losing him. He is my best friend!

    I hope you know you gave her a good loving home. She will be waiting for your on Rainbow Bridge one day. Prayers for your healing.

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  11. You and your husband definitely will be parents to at least 1 kitty in the future, I can tell from your tale of Miss Kitty. It is written with love & appreciation for the wonderful creatures cats are. What a mystery that she was delivered home like she was. The best way to honor her memory is to be loving parents to another cat in need of the best home! You both have my sympathy.

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  12. I'm so sorry for your loss of Miss Kitty. She was a real beauty, and what a lovely tribute you wrote. I love all the photos with her on boxes and paper. It's so funny how every cat really does have their own personality. I do understand what you're going through. We had to let our Miss Fluffy go last year due to kidney problems. She was 15 also. Having 4 other cats did help us get through it, but we still think of her every day. It's so difficult to lose our furry family members.They give us so much.

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  13. Such a sweet tribute to your beautiful kitty! I am sorry for your loss...our pets are family members. I lost my 19 year old calico on Thursday. It was a sad day....:( I shared a little about her on my blog. Prayers and blessings for you and your husband.

    Hugs, Vicky

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  14. So sorry for your loss. I think our cats are Maine Coons. One of them is a calico and the other a diluted Tortoise hair. They are sisters and now 10 years old. Besides their markings they are huge cats. Everyone is amazed at how big they are. You can see their picture on my blog here: http://katspurrfectboutique.blogspot.com/2015/02/lace-and-spring-go-well-with-vivi.html

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  15. Oh, AnnMarie, I'm so sorry to hear about Miss Kitty. Our pets are truly members of the family, bringing so much joy. I've had several pets that we've had to put down, and it is heartbreaking. Your tribute was beautiful.

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  16. I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet furbaby. Been there.:( You wrote such a sweet tribute to her. ((hugs))

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  17. My daughter has just had to put her kitty down as well, he was also 15 and old age just caught up on him. The kids will miss him, he has been there since before any of them were born.
    Sorry for your loss.

    Diana

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  18. AnnMarie, what a wonderful tribute to Miss Kitty. I know you will miss her a lot but thankful you have wonderful memories. I can so relate as we had one cat for 20 years and one for 16 years. I still miss them even though we have 2 rambunctious kittens now. Hugs, Dianne

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  19. I'm so sorry for your loss, Ann Marie. Our pets are such an important part of our family. I hope you find comfort in your memories of Miss Kitty, and in time I'm sure you will open your heart and home to another deserving fur baby or two. Hugs, Jen

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  20. A very moving post about the loss of Miss Kitty. I appreciate you taking the time to share your fond memories of her. I always enjoyed reading where she was perched.

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  21. I was sorry to read your tribute, what a sad day.
    Amalia
    xo

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  22. I'm so sorry you had to put her down, AnnMarie. It's a very hard thing to do. She was a beautiful cat and you gave her a wonderful tribute. Gentle hugs, Nancy

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  23. Oh AnnMarie, my heart goes out to you. To lose a pet is to lose a part of your heart & family. It seems Miss Kitty had a wonderful & charmed life with you. God made certain you found each other to love & cherish during her stay on earth. I can only imagine that she is the most fabulous angel watching over you now. I loved your tribute & will always think of her lounging in the sun on the bench. You captured her true essence beautifully, so much so, her spirit will live on forever within your words & the images they formed in our minds. Thinking of you & keeping you in my prayers for peace & comfort.
    xoxo
    AntiqueShopGirl

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  24. I am so sorry for your loss of Miss Kitty. I know how deep the bond with our cherished pets goes into our hearts. I am still mourning the loss of my little girl kitty who passed before Christmas. Your tribute was lovely and so heart felt. I hope Miss Kitty has a nice cardboard box to lie on as she watches over you from heaven.

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  25. Dear AnnMarie, I am so sorry. It is heartbreaking to loose these little furry friends. They find a place in your heart that simply cannot be filled by any other. Whether you get another kitty or two is up to you how soon; though it is not disrespectful to Miss Kitty if you get one sooner rather than later. It is all how you feel.
    I will keep you in my prayers. xoxo Catherine

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  26. What a beautiful tribute to your beautiful Miss Kitty! I'm so sorry for your loss, I know how hard that is having lost some of my own cherished cats, they truly are dear members of the family. My heart stopped reading the bit about when she went missing during the cold snap, and was so happy to here that she returned safely. I love the photos of Miss Kitty on all those boxes, my cat Koko is a box lover too -- and a paper lover as well :)

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  27. Oh my. I'm so sorry. I lost my sweet soul kitty a couple of years ago. I still miss her so.
    We have 2 other kitties so that helps fill the hole. But none will take her place.
    ~Liz

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  28. I'm so sorry for your loss. She was beautiful! I lost my dear kitty last year, she was about the same age as your sweet one. They are indeed like family.

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  29. I'm so sorry that you lost your sweet kitty. She was beautiful. We are huge cat lovers here and they are such a big part of your life that it's always sad when you lose them. - By the way I like your blog and will be following you.

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