OT ~ There's a hole in my heart and life today (long)

I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of 12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps, then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book, whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old. We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool. She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================

Your poem and the mention of the Rainbow Bridge brings tears to my eyes. In
my mind I've pictured my arrival at the Rainbow Bridge and my past
companions waiting for me. For anyone else there who sees a very happy and
tearful woman wearing several SWAROVSKI crystal bracelets and surrounded by
cats, please say hello to me.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"Mj" wrote in message
...
I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest
kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't
be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting
for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of
12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across
the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she
was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as
she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a
syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket
and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps,
then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked
up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then
proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book,
whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old.
We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but
Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer
with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool
until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow
water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool.
She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an
expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in
the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years
ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative
relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do
this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In
her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================

(((((((((((((((((Mj)))))))))))))))))))))
I had to say goodbye to a very special kitty last summer, so I understand your
sorrow. Hang in there, and talk about it whenever you feel the need, because sharing
your grief with friends somehow makes it easier to bear.
--
Jalynne - Keeper of the Quilt for ME club list
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne

"Mj" wrote in message
...
I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of 12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps, then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book, whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old. We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool. She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================

A candle is lit here to help light her way to the bridge. She will be
waiting for you like all of my past furkids are waiting for me.
JanG


"Mj" wrote in message
...
I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest
kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't
be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting
for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of
12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across
the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she
was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as
she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a
syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket
and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps,
then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked
up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then
proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book,
whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old.
We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but
Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer
with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool
until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow
water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool.
She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an
expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in
the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years
ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative
relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do
this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In
her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================

What a loving testimony to a deep and forever friendship....
Diana

"Mj" wrote in message
...
I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest
kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't
be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting
for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of
12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across
the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she
was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as
she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a
syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket
and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps,
then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked
up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then
proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book,
whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old.
We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but
Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer
with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool
until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow
water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool.
She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an
expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in
the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years
ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative
relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do
this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In
her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================

Mj wrote:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.
=20
Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.
=20
Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.
=20
Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.
=20
Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Namast=E9, Polly.

Namast=E9, Marjean.

Arondelle
--=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
To email me, empty the pond with a net
Shop eBay with me: http://snipurl.com/3usr
Visit Arondelle's Dream Worlds at: http://www.arondelle.com
Read my Blog: http://www.angelfire.com/blog/arondelle/index.html

MJ,
I'm so very sorry.

Hugs,

--
Debbie (New Mexico)
Life is too short
"Mj" wrote in message
...
I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest
kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

I rescued Polly as a six week old kitten with a desperate case of diarrhea
from an intestinal infestation of coccidia. She weighed about 6-7 ounces
and I could hold her in the palm of one hand. The vet said she couldn't
be
saved but I wouldn't listen because I had seen how hard she was fighting
for
life. She survived and grew to be a big, long-haired gray tabby girl of
12
pounds with huge front paws - polydactl in fact, with an extra toe on each
front foot. She had a huge purr-rrr-rrr too that could be heard across
the
room.

I remember two things about her so clearly I'm sure they just happened
yesterday rather than years and years ago. The first happened when she
was
fighting for her life back in September of 1989. I had her set up in a
basket in the kitchen with a heating pad set on low to keep her warm as
she
had trouble maintaining her body temp. I'd been feeding her with a
syringe
and giving her medicine every few hours trying to break the dehydration
cycle. I had just finished with a feeding, settled her into her basket
and
gone back into our living room to read a book about Celtic cultures in the
British Isles. I heard a small "mew" and looked up to see Polly gamely
making her way across the floor. She sat down to rest every few steps,
then
came on a little further. She made it to the corner of the couch, looked
up
at me and launched herself up the upholstery and onto my lap, then
proceeded
to climb up my chest and head bumped me in the nose - all the time purring
like a well oiled engine. I knew then I had a warrior on my hands and
decided she needed a secret Gaelic name. I found one in the book,
whispered
it into her ear and willed myself to forget it so it would never be spoken
aloud and stolen by listening evil spirits who could then do her harm. I
have forgotten it and she proudly lived up to that secret warrior name all
her life.

The second thing happened the next summer when she was about a year old.
We
lived then on a lovely country property that had its own river access - a
gravel bed on an inside curve of the Mohawk River. I'd go down to fish
occasionally as we had trout in there that were particularly tasty. One
evening I set out for the river with my usual procession of kitties
following along. Most of them never came down right to the water, but
Polly
liked to listen to the gurgles and burbles from a 'safe' distance. I soon
caught my first little trout and realized I hadn't brought my stringer
with
me so I improvised a holding pool in the gravel to keep the fish cool
until
I was ready to go back to the house. Leaving the fish in the shallow
water
of a scooped out depression in the gravel, I cast out again and settled in
to wait for another bite. A few moments later I heard some gravel moving
and looked over to see Polly pulling my fish backwards out of the pool.
She
had taken hold of its tail and was backing up as fast as she could,
determined to get that fish all to herself! I laughed so hard I startled
her and she dropped the fish and sat there looking at me with an
expression
of "What?? Isn't this for ME??" I gave her a few bites after I fried up
the catch for breakfast the next day. Her favorite food all her life was
anything with fish in it.

She ate a little bit this morning, but the weight had melted off her in
the
past few weeks until she weighed less than five pounds. Her thyroid
medicine obviously wasn't working anymore and her failing kidneys were
shutting down. Her sister, Fluffy, died of kidney failure three years
ago,
so I knew it was time. She didn't cry in the truck today - just rubbed my
fingers and purred each time I touched her through the carrier door as I
drove. Thank goodness the trip isn't a long one. She purred, rubbed my
hand and head-butted my face just before the first shot of sedative
relaxed
her and then the vet gave her release from her pain. She helped me do
this
today just like the true warrior she was. I'll miss her "Silly Cat" face,
her rumbling purrs and her big, big feet. She's buried in the back yard
now, under the plum tree where she liked to sit of a summer morning. In
her
shroud I included a piece of paper with this Gaelic blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave
To you.

Deep peace of the flowing air
To you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth
To you.

Deep peace of the shining stars
To you.

Deep peace of the infinite peace
To you.

Goodbye, Polly. I love you!
Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge!

Mj

--
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Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================




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Mj, my thoughts are with you, I know how hard this must be for you. I
will be making the same trip sometime soon, my 'younger' kitty (17 years
old on Mother's day) has been in renal failure for a year and a half,
and I think the end is coming upon us. I don't know what the senior cat
will do when she's gone (18, arthritic, fat, and cataracts in both
eyes), but I know the family will have a huge hole that won't easily be
filled.

Karin

Mj wrote:

I know I haven't been very active on the list lately, but some ongoing
health problems and a major bout of depression have made just keeping up
with my business a hard thing. But today I said goodbye to my oldest kitty
as her health problems had become too hard for her to overcome, so we made
the trip to the vet's office for the last time. She would have been 15 in
July sometime - we never knew her real birthdate.

Oh, MJ, I'm crying for you. Even though we know it's the kindest thing to do
for our fur-babies, it's still so hard on us. Your tribute to Polly was so
heart-felt and touching. I know she'll be waiting for you on the other side.

Love,

Linda2

WAHHHHH

bawling.....

so sorry - I went through the same struggle with Baron....years ago... and
still cry when I think about it.

try to remember the happy days - instead of the end....

Like - I remember him running about with the MOUSE he caught (a dog...)
and with a green bean stuck out his mouth like a cigarette... or stealing the
kid's cookies when they were little...
remember boys -- cookie down - Baron cookie

cookie up -- your cookie! LOL

hugs -- I know your kitty will be greatly missed....




Cheryl
DRAGON BEADS
Flameworked beads and glass
http://www.dragonbeads.com/