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December 28, 2008
A Season of Great Joy and Great Sadness
I knew something was wrong when my 22 year old calico, Philomena, curled up in bed next to MR. She likes MR well enough, and is grateful that he feeds her when I'm out, but she's never stopped resenting him for taking so much space on HER side of the bed.
She started doing other confusing things. On Friday night I found her lying in the liter box, nothing in it, but just lying there confused. Saturday we made it out with the in-laws, shopping in town, and when I got home she was huddled under the shelves in the bathroom, lying on my shoes.
I've petted her almost nonstop. It's amazing that the cat has any fur left at all, with how much I've petted her. She's making a comeback now, and eating and purring and happy. She slept with us last night and cuddled nearly all day.
It's a miracle that she's lived as long as she has, yet I'm so sad at the thought of her leaving us. My eyes are nearly black and my face is puffy from crying. My in-laws, animal lovers themselves, have been extremely gracious. When I need to disappear to snuggle my kitty, they completely understand.
Meanwhile, we've had extreme joy. Our happiness together, MR and me, continues to strike us both as a miracle. We've had a wonderful time with his parents. Yesterday we went for lunch to the Marathon Grill in Philly, which I highly recommend. They let you create your own salad from a list of ingredients so huge that MoMR and I were puzzled for quite awhile deciding what to order.
More soon about our Christmas cooking because it really was fantastic. I'm tired now and want so spend time with my kitty. She may make it longer, but whatever time we have is a blessing.
Posted by april at December 28, 2008 5:58 PM
Comments
Oh April, my sympathy. I have been with pets in their last days and it is a very difficult experience. My thoughts are with you. For a cat to make it 22 years she must be well cared for and well loved.
Posted by: Rachel at December 28, 2008 9:33 PM
April I'm so sorry to hear about Philomena. We've lost one of our cats this year, and a month ago our beloved dog. I feel for you, I really do.
Posted by: Lindsay at December 29, 2008 3:16 AM
I remember spending my Tigsy's last hours with her, cuddling her and holding her all night. I do hope Philomena makes a recovery, but if she doesn't don't feel bad at all about spending every precious minute you can with her.
Posted by: Sara at December 29, 2008 5:27 AM
Sorry to hear about the cat, it's hard knowing that it could happen at any time now. It took me months to get over the loss of my dog in 2007. Cried loads for a while. We had him for almost 20 years. I really hope you get to spend more time with Philomena. As Rachel said, 22 is a graet age, and was definitely well loved.
Posted by: Matthew Lake at December 29, 2008 9:40 AM
Cats. Yuck.
Posted by: Gail at December 29, 2008 5:05 PM