WWTBAM Bored

Sixteen and a half years ago in the week preceding Labor Day, while picking up following a day parking cars for the county fair, I heard a little "mewing" sound. I turned around in my wheelchair just in time to see this tiny little kitten scamper up to me, and without a single bit of hesitation, she jumped up into my lap, then onto my shoulder, where she began nuzzling and purring in my ear. Here was a young lady who knew what she wanted...I didn't stand a chance..she came, she saw, she conquered...a feline Julius Caesar. She never stopped being my furry best buddy, a real Daddy's girl. As my disability progressed and I needed more and more help getting into my bed, she became my wife's "supervisor", coming into my room and jumping on the bed, and switching her position with each step of the process, watching intently. When she was satisfied that I was safe and secure, she would jump down and do what I assumed was a nightly patrol, eventually returning to me and settling in with me to snuggle for a good portion of the remaining night. This was the nightly routine for YEARS...but lately we noticed she was moving a lot slower and she was a lot less sharp than she used to be, often seeming to lose focus. We basically allowed for the fact that she was an old lady in cat years. But after a short period of time, we made an appointment with the vet. These past few days, she really started going downhill..to the point where she was sleeping in a corner of the dining room instead of her nightly routine with me. However, yesterday morning, on the day of her vet appointment, she came up on the bed and lay on my chest for awhile, purring away. I felt in my heart she was saying goodbye. Sure enough, the vet confirmed the worst..very bad liver and intestinal issues, and a strong possibility of cancer. There was a procedure he could've done, but he said in his 20 years, it had only been successful a couple of times. In addition, it was quite possible she would not survive the operation, and recovery period. Add to that the pain she was in but didn't display until the last few days. So we made the gut-wrenching decision to part ways with my sweet girl. My son is visiting to help out with a lengthy household project, and as always when he's here for a lengthy stay, he brings his kitty with him. She's a cool kitty, but she's completely attached to him, although my wife will do in a pinch. She is too wary of my power chair to warm up to me, though.
So when my son returns home, for the first time in over 50 years (not counting the time I was away at college, or the year directly following my graduation from said institution), I will be living in a home without at least one kitty. Bye Bye, little Freya. I will never not miss your presence. If you've made it here to the end, thanks for letting me get this out...it helps.

I'm so sorry T_Bone. What a wonderful companion she was.

I am so sad. Freya was a queen.

She looks like merv.

Aww, I'm sorry, Boneman. My mom lost her furbaby two days before Christmas - never, ever easy.
Freya can rest easy knowing my son's GS is carrying on the name, and very well, at that.
<<hugs>>

I'm so sorry, TBone. Thank you for sharing your special bond with Freya...

lb13

What a beautiful tribute to Freya. The connection you shared is a treasure for sure. Love to you

I'm so sorry, Mr. T.

MissFreya is one of those beautiful creatures I fell in love with but without the benefit of actually meeting her. I felt connected because Freya is one of the names I considered for Annie, but I couldn't talk SteelersFan info it.

Thinking of you . . .

A testimony like that can only be written by someone who has given a lifetime of the very best of care to their cat.

Sorry to hear that. We got another reminder this year about what it's like to lose a friend like Freya.

Sorry for the loss of your furry companion. Freya is in good company on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Love to you and to Freya. Wonderful picture.

Thank you, everyone. She was indeed a special companion and yes, Beebs, coulda been Merv's littermate based on appearances. I've loved all of the four-footers who have shared my home over the last 50-plus years, but there's only been one other with whom I've had this strong a bond with, and that was Clyde the cat..and he only lasted 7 years before a severe kidney issue took him. He and Freya were the only ones who had such an extraordinary bond with me. Well, not counting Jennydog...who loved everyone, from the family to the dude who came to do maintenance on my wheelchair

It's been a little weird not having Freya to "look after me" these past couple of nights. She never let a day go by without at least ATTEMPTING to groom me, and on the couple of times she caught a mouse (we live across from an area where they may occasionally be found), she made sure to deposit it on my bed in the middle of the night. The fact that she also had catnip mice made it difficult to determine whether she was gifting me with a toy or a recently deceased...or not-deceased-quite-yet...genuine article. We came to the conclusion that she thought I was just too dumb to hunt and groom myself on my own, and felt obligated by her love to do these things for me.

And I will miss her purring in my ear, a tremendous organic sleeping pill, as well as her frequent slow kitty blinks, which all the cat behavior articles say is a sign of their affection and devotion.

Yup, she was a goodun, she was. I was privileged to be adopted by her.

I call Merv Mervpurrs because he has the best motor of any cat ever. Freya and he may really be related. I'm sad you don't have her motor anymore.

So sorry for your family & Freya.

ghostjmf wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:37 am

So sorry for your family & Freya.

Thanks, ghost