3:10 p.m. - 2005-03-29
Goodbye, My Little Skitty-Kat
Just a few weeks ago, Gump was writing about the loss of his last childhood pet.
Now, I have to write about mine.
My mom has to put her to sleep today.
This is Miss Kitty. She was 20 years old. We got her when I was 11. She just showed up in the backyard (or so I am told. I was actually at my gramma's that summer), and my dad told my mom and my brother not to feed her.
Well, they did.
We've had her ever since. Or should I say, she has lived with us ever since.
Miss Kitty was Miss Independent. She didn't like women very much. Her favorite person in the house was my brother. When my brother moved out, she adopted my stepfather. She tolerated my mom, seeing as how mommy was the one who fed her and cleaned her box, but given the choice, she'd always go with the boy.
Her favorite toy was a little superball. When you threw it so it bounced off all the walls and floors, she would go nuts. However, in the middle of the night, if she wanted to play, she would drop the superball somewhere in your bed. By the time you rolled over on it and thought you were sleeping on rocks, she was long gone.
She also loved to watch the birds. Our old house had a big bay window in the kitchen, and there was a birdfeeder right outside. She would sit and stalk the birds for hours. One day, she decided she was going to go after them. Unfortunately, the window was in the way. My mom thought she had actually broken the window.
My brother originally named Miss Kitty "Tiger". It didn't stick. I thought it was a hella-stupid name, so I decided to call her something else. First it was "Meow Mix." Then it was "Miss Meow". Finally, it morphed into "Miss Kitty." She didn't answer to any of them, anyway, so it didn't really matter that much.
When Miss Kitty was about 2, we (okay I) decided that she needed a friend. The friend was Gizmo.
Gizzy was the complete opposite of Miss Kitty.
Where Miss Kitty was pretty much mean and fearless, Giz was a fraidy cat and very docile and sweet. Miss Kitty was picky as hell...only certain cat food, cat treats, milk and fresh meat would cross her lips. Gizzy would eat anything...peanut butter sandwiches, Doritos, Velveeta...and if you said the magic words "kitty munchie" she would pretty much eat it and think it was a special treat, even if it was just her regular cat food.
Gizmo had lots of health problems....when she was little, she almost died from a urinary tract infection, then she had epilepsy, and in her later years, she developed diabetes. My mom had to give her insulin shots, and rushed her to the vet in sugar shock more than once. She was definitely my mother's cat.
Gizzy was a very sweet and snuggly kitty. She didn't really like to sit in laps, but she did want to sit right next to you. She also HATED it when anyone's door was closed...she would beat on it and whine until it was open.
We had to put Giz to sleep a few years ago...she was just too sick and the vet couldn't save her.
Miss Kitty didn't seem to miss her that much. Despite the fact that Gizmo was supposed to be her friend, it was mostly an uneasy peace. The only time Miss Kitty EVER acknowledged Giz was when she wasn't there....if Gizzy was at the vet, Miss Kitty would kinda look for her. A little.
It's sad, losing your pet. It's even sadder when it's the last one. It will be weird going to my mother's house and not seeing Miss Kitty there...I mean, it's still weird not seeing Gizmo. And over the last few years, Miss Kitty was much nicer...she would sit in your lap, and follow you around. However, she hasn't been doing very well lately. She wasn't eating much, and she had a hard time getting around. And apparently, when my mom took her to the vet today, the vet said she was in acute kidney failure and had a huge mouth ulcer.
Poor baby. At least she will be at peace and out of pain.
One thing about losing a pet...it makes you want to give the ones you have an extra hug and an extra snack.
This is Sissy.
This is Maggie.
And this is Emily. Today is her 12th birthday. She's celebrating by taking a nap, and getting cat hair all over the pants I wore to my job interview today.
Give your pets a hug. If you don't have pets, hug someone else's.
