To Say Goodbye

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Tomorrow.

It's coming far too quickly, the hours are racing by.

Tomorrow,  we must say Goodbye to a faithful friend.

She has been there through ups and downs, pain and happiness, sorrow and laughter.

Steadfast and true, she has seen it all.

And now it's time .... Time to say Goodbye.

It's an appointment which has to be kept. As much as we would like to change it, we can't.

She lays and purrs; she seeks comfort in settling close to my feet, no matter where I am in the house. Sometimes I turn quickly and stumble over her, catching myself before I crash into furniture (often mumbling something inappropriate).

She came to us 16 years ago, after a Sunday visit to the SPCA. Our daughter spied this spunky little 6 month old kitten and fell in love. Misty came home with us that day, started to eat and never quit. Whom ever had her before didn't feed her much, plus they must have mistreated her with both broom and vacuum. Shame on them. Over the years she grew accustomed to those tools and wouldn't even budge when the beater bar came within inches of her front paws. Food was one of her great joys in life. Yes, the vet would say "she has to go on a diet" and all good intentions were that she would-- but oh my goodness, she loved to eat. Thus our little kitten turned into a robust 26 lb Garfield look alike. My philosophy was 'she was happy, so let her be'. After all she had gained the staus of royalty.

Ah yes, I was the one in the family who complained the most because the duties of cleaning, feeding, litterbox fell on my shoulders. Children were long gone so she had to put up with me. The furniture was constantly covered with light colored hair. Jackets, sweaters, blankets, and in particular, black dress pants were favorite targets. Hair balls gathered in hard to reach corners. She certainly kept guests at a minimum, because several family, neighbours and friends suffered from allergies thus functions were kept to a select few. She had no idea she was so annoying.

But all complaints aside, she gave so much love. She owned her domain (as most cats do) and she made sure everyone was aware of it. Definitely Queen of the castle. Her almond shaped eyes would warm the hearts of most hardened souls. Misty didn't like people's laps, but she liked to calmly and cooly appear and rub against legs, making sure all knew she reigned supreme and then disappear as quietly as she came.

At Halloween when the wee tykes would come begging for treats she would park herself at the door, right beside the candy bowls. The little ones would be thrilled at the sight of this huge camel colored Garfield look alike. She would gaze at them with disdain and proceed to move just far enough out of arms length. Yes, she was saying "You can look, but you can't touch".

And now my heart aches, becaue I know in my head this is what has to be done. 16 years has taken it's toll. Her fur has lost it's glossy sheen, and every joint aches when she moves from one spot to another. Her quality of life has diminished to the point of no return. And so my head understands the logic but my heart is heavy and sad.

How can we say goodbye without shedding some tears? No, there is no possible way of avoiding this. The vet and I had a lengthy discussion about all the possibilities, but we both know there is only one answer.

And so tonight we will pamper and fuss, tell her what a pretty girl she is. Brush her and spoil her. And then cry ourselves to sleep.

Tomorrow.

It's coming far too quickly.

Tomorrow, we must say Goodbye to a friend.