March 17, 2007

I keep trying to convince myself that Oreo Kitty was "Just a cat". I mean, really, in the big scheme of life, I've had a girlfriend who lost her 10 year old son in a house explosion and this is just a cat.

But Oreo Kitty was more than that.

She was my little barnacle. Wherever I was, she was right there. I couldn't take a nap without her hopping on top of me. It was our Monday through Friday thing.

Every day, at 2:00 we'd lay down for half an hour before the boys came home and the noise started.

This week, with that 66 degree day we got to go out on the porch and do our nap on the couch in the sunshine.

Oreo Kitty loved the porch when the weather was warm. She was forever begging to go out on the porch. It always cracked me up when the fall came and a cold front would move through. She'd beg and beg to go on the porch, I'd let her out, she'd realize that porch season was over and would come running back inside.

I had a regular check-up this morning at the clinic for her and Yoda but this week, Oreo Kitty was really showing her sick side. We couldn't miss one saline treatment without her getting sick. She was getting madder and madder at us about them (and then, of course, loving us devotedly when it was done) It just wasn't working for her anymore.

I called my good friend who just so happens to also be our Vet and left a message for her, asking her what I should do. She called me this morning and we decided that it was time, before Oreo got really sick, to let her go.

It was a hellacious final two hours. We held her. We cried. We played with her in the sunshine. We fed her ham. We fed her more ham. And then it was time to put her in the carrier and take her to the clinic.

My friend offered to come over here and do it but I just couldn't do that to her or the kids or to Yoda. Thor and I went alone to the clinic where Oreo Kitty was gently put to sleep by my very good friend, Deb.

I go from being okay to sobbing to being okay again. Thankfully, Thor and I have dinner plans at the house of some very good friends tonight. The kids have a load of movies and video games to keep them occupied. Yoda is being spoiled by constant attention. Which is funny seeing as how Yoda isn't much like her sissy, and doesn't care much for all the affection. But hey, she's just going to have to tolerate it for awhile.

She might be Just a Cat, too, but for right now, she's also our Therapy Cat.

Thank you for all of your kindness.

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