My first cat was a mackerel tabby named Flash. She was born in 1985 and had a sister named Kitty which my cousins kept. Flash had one litter of kittens and was spayed after that. I think there were only three kittens in the litter; my brother named them Memo and Celery. Flash was six when I was born, but still acted like a kitten. When you were sleeping, she'd suck on your shirt and when you woke up there'd be a big wet spot on your shirt. She loved to swat at my hair whenever I was reading. Flash even put up with my childish antics, like attempting to dress her up. When my brothers, my dad and I would walk to the corner store, Flash would follow us and hide under a certain bush. When we passed her again, she'd follow us back home. One day she wasn't at the bush when we came back, and the following day we seen her on the television. She was at the Humane Society. The lady on there said, "This tabby is unique because she has pink on her toes". As soon as we heard that, we knew it was Flash. Another funny thing she did was she caught a bird and brought it into the house, except it was still alive! It got out of Flash's mouth and flew around until we got it outside.
In November of 1999, we noticed Flash wasn't eating much and hid under my brother's bed all the time. My parents took her to the vet, and it turns out her kidneys were failing and she had mouth ulcers, among many things. They came back home and told us the news. I was devastated, so I took Flash in my arms and went downstairs and hid behind the couch. I didn't want her to be put down. Eventually, my parents found me with Flash in my arms, purring softly. The last thing I did to her was kiss her on the face and said goodbye. She was fourteen years old.
After she was put down, my whole family sat at the kitchen table and cried. Everyone was crying, even my dad. I've never seen him cry before, not even at his mom's funeral. Some days I'd go to the fridge to give Flash some food, but then I remembered. I wasn't the only one who did something like that either. Sometimes my dad would call for her, even after her death. There was an emptiness to our family. Less than a year after Flash died, her sister died.
Even though that was seven years ago, Flash is still on our minds. Occasionally we call Scratch "Flash", and whenever we find a picture of Flash we tear up. She is and always will be my beautiful mackerel. I hope she's having fun on the Rainbow Bridge right now, playing happily with her sister.
In November of 1999, we noticed Flash wasn't eating much and hid under my brother's bed all the time. My parents took her to the vet, and it turns out her kidneys were failing and she had mouth ulcers, among many things. They came back home and told us the news. I was devastated, so I took Flash in my arms and went downstairs and hid behind the couch. I didn't want her to be put down. Eventually, my parents found me with Flash in my arms, purring softly. The last thing I did to her was kiss her on the face and said goodbye. She was fourteen years old.
After she was put down, my whole family sat at the kitchen table and cried. Everyone was crying, even my dad. I've never seen him cry before, not even at his mom's funeral. Some days I'd go to the fridge to give Flash some food, but then I remembered. I wasn't the only one who did something like that either. Sometimes my dad would call for her, even after her death. There was an emptiness to our family. Less than a year after Flash died, her sister died.
Even though that was seven years ago, Flash is still on our minds. Occasionally we call Scratch "Flash", and whenever we find a picture of Flash we tear up. She is and always will be my beautiful mackerel. I hope she's having fun on the Rainbow Bridge right now, playing happily with her sister.
