It was nearly
Christmas (1985), he (my fiancé at that time) told me to go to a pet store his customer owned to
see if I could find that 'special' kitten I was longing for. I had been
considering a Siamese kitten and he was told that they had a few for sale.
So I made a trip to the pet store.
Upon walking in, I noticed a cluster of
cages with a variety of kittens. I was so excited to see 'Who' would be
the sweet spirit to capture my heart. I browsed the rest of the store to
see where all the kittens were. It was soon obvious to me that ALL
the kittens were in the cages in the front of the store. So I made my way
back to the cluster of cages and started to interact with the eager bunch.
There must have been 5 or 6 Siamese kittens and all were so darling, but . .
.as I checked out all the kittens for sale, my eyes were drawn to this little
round ball of GREY fluff. There were these great big 'GOLDEN' eyes and
they were so perky and bright. This little fur-ball was pawing the cage
and doing all she could to catch my eye. I continued to interact with the
Siamese kittens; I held them and talked to them. Then this 'smokey'
fur-baby started to talk to me . . . meowing and pawing at the cage . . . she
stared at me with those Huge Golden Eyes....soooo. . .I decided to pick her up
and see if that would settle her down.
Oh my heavens she was incredibly adorable! I
talked to her as she purred . . . she was so content and at this point I had
totally forgotten about any of the other kittens I had previously cuddled. Not totally ready to forego the original desire for a
Siamese cat, I left the pet store empty handed....but not empty hearted. I
returned home to share my experience with my fiancé.
It wasn't
a few days later, that I came home from work and my daughter and my fiancé were
waiting at my apartment. Acting rather silly and coy, as we chatted about
our day...I heard the bathroom door rattle (a pocket, sliding door) and I asked
them, "what's going on?" Both of them had 'the cat the ate the canary'
grins on their faces. I knew something was up...and I walked over to the
door and slide it open...OH MY GOD! Here was that adorable
round ball of grey
fluff, my new fur-baby with a huge red bow around her neck! She was absolutely
Precious.....that is all I could think--was how Precious. Well, it was
obvious at that point that her name should be Precious....and I gave it great
consideration....but ultimately decided on "Sweetie" which in later
years Michael coined her "Miss Sweetie--the cat." And that is where
this love affair began . . .
You know in reflection, I am amazed to realize that the ONLY true constant
in my life for the last 20 years has been my beloved Sweetie. What I mean
by that is my daughter was 8 when we got her and by 18 she moved out, my son is
only 15 and has only known life with Sweetie in our home...Sushi, our
daughter-dog, is 10 and Sweetie allowed
her to share the family. lol I haven't shared 20 years
with a companion, as of yet, not without some kind of break. So in reality, Sweetie has been by my side
(nearly conjoined-in a manner of speaking--24/7) because it didn't matter where in the
house I chose to be, Sweetie was either at my feet, on my desk, behind my
shoulder (usually with one paw touching me in some way) or preferably
(hers)
she was centered on my chest nearly nose to nose with me. So it shouldn't
surprise me that I feel a significant void (absence) most of the time I'm at
home. She was unfailingly at my side....for 19 of those years.....but
recently (last 6-9 months) she had been limited due to vision and she was losing
the spring in her step. She started to do less and less of the typical
things and was more apt to stay on the floor, unless someone picked her up and
placed her.
Unbelievably, I NEVER thought I
would be without her, it just didn't ever cross my mind till she started to lose
ground rapidly....in a matter of a few months, she diminished to the point where
it was undoubtedly time to consider her quality of life (or there the lack
of) and her alternatives to that. In the messages below these pictures, you
will understand what I mean. Thank you for sharing in my pain, my grieving
and my effort to cope and pay tribute to my long loved companion. Sweetie's Mommy~Lori
Her Highness,
Miss Sweetie! |
Oh no....take it
easy Kid!
Always tolerant with Nico. |
Mums the
word...It's our
little secret, shhhhh! |
Every day's a Lazy day. |
Sunday ritual was reading the
sale ads and it was always a challenge,
but
Sweetie always won HER spot. |
Sure looks pretty out there...
ahhh fresh air. |
Huh? |
I'll stay close to Mommy here! |
Just think of me as a decoration. |
Who will win
Mommy's lap? |
Daddy's a cozy
spot, too. |
Peaceful
pleasures... |
Who... ME? |
Looking like a
model. |
Always covering
her face. |
Peek-A-Boo! |
A stringy
mess...but FUN! |
in the twilight of her life . . . |
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Click Here to Continue:
MY SWEETIE BLOG! |
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