It's with a heavy heart that I make this post. Some people say it's silly to get attached to a cat. After all, it's just a cat.
But Jazz wasn't just a cat. He was truly a part of our family.
I originally brought him home from Kim's parents' farm when I was living alone in Sioux City. He was meant to keep me company, and he was pretty good at that. Later when Kim and I moved back to Ames together, he became our cat, and he and Kim became practically inseparable. We always said he was more like a dog than a cat in that he was very friendly, very loyal, and very dependent on us.
We gave him a lot of nicknames...Jazzie, Kitty Butt, The Silver Bullet, Yawny Kitaen (don't ask)...I even called him The Terrorist for a little while. Kim never liked that one. Mostly though, we just called him Kitty.
Anybody who's gotten a Christmas card from us in the past six years knows that he had a variety of medical problems, and it was one of those problems that eventually took him from us. He'd been OK up until about a week ago, but over the course of the past week he went downhill very quickly. We'd gotten used to the idea that something could happen. So on Saturday morning, when we could no longer take care of him, we took him to the vet for the last time. By that night, we'd lost him.
Today we live in a house without a cat, but we're still cleaning up hair from the furniture and carpet, and we'll probably find toys in little nooks and crannies up until the point we move out of this house. They'll be reminders of what we had, and the happiness that he brought to us.
Goodbye, Jazz. We love you. You were a good boy...a good Kitty.
4 comments:
.
(moment of silence)
I'm so sorry, guys. Big big hugs. It's amazing how pets get to be like our kids...such a wonderful part of the family. I hope things get better soon.
I'm really sorry to hear about Jazz. As a person who has had cats my entire life, I know exactly what you're going through and what it's like to lose a cat. It's hardest when they get sick, but it sounds like Jazz didn't suffer too long.
The only good that comes out of losing one pet is the chance to save another. Our cat Jake came from the Ames Animal Shelter almost 10 years ago, and he is one of the best cats I have ever owned, and he is as vital to my happiness as my wife is. Our other cat, Molly, came from a foster home as an impulse buy at a PetSmart, but she quickly became a part of our home. So, mourn Jazz as necessary, but find another one. One of my mom's favorite sayings is "A house without a cat is not a home."
Thanks, guys. We're taking it a day at a time. He was the best cat either of us had ever had. We sure do miss him, but we'll be OK.
Post a Comment