My cat Duchess passed away last Monday. She was 11 years old, so people keep saying "at least she had a good long life", but it didn't feel long enough to me. We got her from an adoption event when she was just a 2-month-old baby, and she was really the cutest kitten I've ever seen. She was always agile, elegant and independent. I am trying to remember the good times when she played, cuddled and explored because the last few weeks were so hard for her.
Duchess had a pretty great career. We had a big house by the lake for a while, back when we let kitties outside (which I know now we shouldn't do, but they did love it). One time she made an amazing leap from part of the roof to the patio, sliding between the rails in midair. She had long, athletic legs and could jump to or through anything. And we had a huge tree in the yard that she decided to climb up one day. She meowed for help for a while, and as we were trying to get her down, she decided to just climb down on her own. My dad had a few choice words for her that day
She got along well with my mom's small dog Digby. She would let him do just about anything to her, but she wouldn't hesitate to walk right over him to get to your lap if she wanted to. And she'd lie down half on him if he hadn't left enough room for her! I feel bad that Digby won't ever see his kitty friend again now.
But the times I'll miss most are the quiet moments where she would sit next to me, or on my lap, and purr as I watched TV or played a game. She was a very gentle cat who never scratched or bit anyone in her life. She wouldn't even knead on bare skin - somehow she just knew it would hurt. I'll miss her a lot, and I'll always regret that I couldn't help her more through her health troubles at the end.
I've decided to get another cat soon, not to replace Duchess but to help soothe the hole she's left behind. I know there are other cats out there that need homes, and getting another cat seems like the highest compliment I could pay to my Duchy. She was so sweet that it's hard to imagine living without a cat for long.
Duchess had a pretty great career. We had a big house by the lake for a while, back when we let kitties outside (which I know now we shouldn't do, but they did love it). One time she made an amazing leap from part of the roof to the patio, sliding between the rails in midair. She had long, athletic legs and could jump to or through anything. And we had a huge tree in the yard that she decided to climb up one day. She meowed for help for a while, and as we were trying to get her down, she decided to just climb down on her own. My dad had a few choice words for her that day
She got along well with my mom's small dog Digby. She would let him do just about anything to her, but she wouldn't hesitate to walk right over him to get to your lap if she wanted to. And she'd lie down half on him if he hadn't left enough room for her! I feel bad that Digby won't ever see his kitty friend again now.
But the times I'll miss most are the quiet moments where she would sit next to me, or on my lap, and purr as I watched TV or played a game. She was a very gentle cat who never scratched or bit anyone in her life. She wouldn't even knead on bare skin - somehow she just knew it would hurt. I'll miss her a lot, and I'll always regret that I couldn't help her more through her health troubles at the end.
I've decided to get another cat soon, not to replace Duchess but to help soothe the hole she's left behind. I know there are other cats out there that need homes, and getting another cat seems like the highest compliment I could pay to my Duchy. She was so sweet that it's hard to imagine living without a cat for long.