Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Friendly Cat

A week and a half ago my dad and stepmom had to euthanize another cat. Our twinkle girl, Casper. Her chest cavity was full of cancer and she could no longer breathe well.


She showed up at their house eight years ago, and what else was there to do but keep her? She was the sweetest, simplest little cat you'll ever meet. She had a sense of innocence that made it impossible to be unhappy with her. And yes, those eyes.


Her head was permanently tilted, giving her a forever questioning expression. We don't know for sure what sort of injury or illness she had to make her that way, but she didn't let her tiltiness stop her. If she lost her balance and tipped over, she just got right back up.


She wasn't the brightest cat in the world, but her perpetual confusion only added to her charm. If she had been a cartoon character, she would have been drawn with a question mark thought bubble--and that would have represented what was going on in her mind pretty accurately.


Over the past couple of years, she developed nasal polyps that caused her to snort and wheeze. You could hear her coming from the next room, grunting and tilting all the way. Still, every day was Casper's great adventure--discovering things all over again that she'd rediscovered and reforgotten just the day before, ad infinitum.


My lady. I knew when I said goodbye to her last Christmas that it could very well be the last time I saw her. I've gotten into the habit of making those little moments count now that my trips to Michigan are so few and far between. Still, I'm sure that the next time I'm home I'll have to gently remind myself that I don't need to go find out which room Casper's lost in.

The next time I see a falling star, I'll know it was my twinkle girl, saying her goodbye.

10 comments:

Angela said...

I'm sorry for your loss. She was a very pretty cat.

Molly's Mom said...

:( I had an all-white cat growing up...these pics remind me of her. We love them so much that it's absolutely heartwrenching when we have to let them go. I am not looking forward to the day when we have to make those kinds of decisions with mine - we've had them all our married life and they were our first babies.
So sorry for your loss...

Jessica (Bayjb) said...

What a gorgeous kitty, I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

Holly Christine said...

I'm sorry to hear that! What a pretty kitty! Slightly confused/"simple minded" animals are so much fun!

Jes said...

This post made me SO sad! I know what it's like to lose a little tiny friend whom you know so well and love so completely. I'm so sorry!

Brittany Ann said...

She's so beautiful! So sorry for y'all's loss!

Salt said...

Oh no. :(
She was so beautiful. I love her eyes.
I'm so sorry for your family's loss, friend.

Bev said...

She was so pretty! I'm very sorry for the loss.

w.v. = deccat. No lie!

Jamie said...

I'm sorry. What an awful year for them. =\

averyswifeliz said...

I'm so sorry about your kitty.