Doing better...and Thanks for being there....

I want to thank you all for being there for me last week. I couldn't even bring myself to tell a friend about Spooka when I went out with her on Sunday--I just couldn't feel I could talk about it and keep it together.

But I could blog about it and it did help me to ease the pain a bit. Ah, the power of blogging and the RBF!

We buried Spooka in the back yard under a young oak tree that she liked to sleep under. We sprinkled wild flour seeds over her grave. I think she would be happy there.

My daughter goes out daily and "waters Spooka" as she calls it--she's religious about it. We all have our way of coping and it's her way right now.

And I run.......

I'm Sad...............Warning sad post.

My cat died this morning.

Spooka was almost 16 years old--skinny, but active and happy.

Just last night she was begging for some leftover sausage, jumping up and sleeping on our high bar stools.

It's funny, because as I was waking up this morning, I could've sworn I heard her purring even though I had my door shut and there were no other cats were in my room.

She was in the hallway in her usual sphinx position, but she didn't follow me in the kitchen as she always does. She didn't move.

I sat next to her, and I could tell something was wrong. Her eyes looked glassy and she wasn't blinking. She started purring when I started petting her--but she wouldn't get up.

I sat with her a few minutes more and then she tried to get up, but her back legs failed her.

I picked her up and carried her in my room and put a light blanket over her and started crying. I went in the kitchen to grab the phone book to call the vet and I just broke down.

I had spooka for so long......I never had one of my pets die on me as an adult.

My daughter gets up and overhears me crying--soon she's crying too.

We both go back to the bedroom and sit with Spooka. My regular vet does not open until 10AM, and she's a long drive away for me now....so I call a closer 24 hour hospital...and I don't know what to say...

"I think my cat's dying" is all I can muster. They tell me to bring her in anytime and that their doors are always open.

Spooka is still purring. She tries to get up again, but her legs won't hold her up. She lays on her side and starts breathing more shallow, her purring is quieter

My daughter and I start getting dressed, and I get the cat carrier out of the garage.

I come back to check on Spooka a couple of minutes later, but she's already gone.

Not sure what took her so quickly, perhaps it was a stroke (if cats get them)--maybe it was just old age. But I'm glad she was happy yesterday and she didn't seem to suffer.

And I'm especially glad that she waited until we woke up to say goodbye.

I'll miss you Spooka!