A Day To Forget...
I wasn't looking for a cat a few years ago but Melissa, a friend of a friend was looking for a place to stay for a few months, and she had an elderly but loving cat. We worked out an arrangement which seemed good at the time. She'd "keep house", do all the cooking, and kick in some money towards expenses. The cat would have a place to live and I'd get to enjoy the culinary expertise of a real honest to goodness gourmet chef, which is what my new room mate did for a living.
Every night after we were all asleep Baby, the cat, would quietly get up off of her bed and come in to my room. Then she'd curl up on my pillow next to my head and fall back asleep. Needless to say this didn't go over too well with the woman, and when she moved on to other pastures she said that maybe I should just keep Baby. "She loves you more than she loves me!" Every few months I get a "how's Baby doing?" call.
A few days ago Baby started acting strange. On the one hand she seemed a bit lethargic, but on the other hand she seemed to crave more pettting and attention than usual. Then she started staying out all night. She'd be mewing for food as soon as she heard me up and about, but she was out all night. Her walk became a bit unsteady and I made an appointment with the vet for this morning, explaining to the office that was dependant on my finding Baby either last night or this morning. Claudia borrowed a cat carrier for me to use and it was by the front door all ready for Baby. Last night she didn't show but early this morning I heard her on the back porch. There was no sign of her when I got up an hour or so later. For some reason I opened the porch door and looked out at the yard. Baby was laying on her side in the grass about ten feet away, motionless. She didn't react to either my presence or my calling her name. Baby had died. It was just as well that I got to sit alone tonight, sipping my coffee, thinking about the good times I'd had with Baby, the fun times. Thinking about what I'd tell Melissa the next time she called...
Every night after we were all asleep Baby, the cat, would quietly get up off of her bed and come in to my room. Then she'd curl up on my pillow next to my head and fall back asleep. Needless to say this didn't go over too well with the woman, and when she moved on to other pastures she said that maybe I should just keep Baby. "She loves you more than she loves me!" Every few months I get a "how's Baby doing?" call.
A few days ago Baby started acting strange. On the one hand she seemed a bit lethargic, but on the other hand she seemed to crave more pettting and attention than usual. Then she started staying out all night. She'd be mewing for food as soon as she heard me up and about, but she was out all night. Her walk became a bit unsteady and I made an appointment with the vet for this morning, explaining to the office that was dependant on my finding Baby either last night or this morning. Claudia borrowed a cat carrier for me to use and it was by the front door all ready for Baby. Last night she didn't show but early this morning I heard her on the back porch. There was no sign of her when I got up an hour or so later. For some reason I opened the porch door and looked out at the yard. Baby was laying on her side in the grass about ten feet away, motionless. She didn't react to either my presence or my calling her name. Baby had died. It was just as well that I got to sit alone tonight, sipping my coffee, thinking about the good times I'd had with Baby, the fun times. Thinking about what I'd tell Melissa the next time she called...
posted by Al Kaplan at 6:41 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home