Dateline:  August 12, 2016

Last Saturday marked two years since my Mom died.  If she were still alive, she would now be 93.  After her death, my sister and I decided that we would tilt a glass or two of wine on her birthday rather than on her death day in remembrance.  Nonetheless, it is hard not to recall that date when she left us for good.  One of the loneliest feelings is when you suddenly realize that you are now an adult orphan with no living parents.  You are now the older generation as the endless cycles of life continue to roll forward.

How often do you miss calling her to tell her the little news of the day?  The Rufus hummingbirds arrived today.  There was snow on the Indian Peaks this morning and on and on.  She was ready to go, frail and in pain, but we weren’t necessarily ready for her to leave.  One of the last things holding her back from that big crossing over was her worry about her two beloved cats, Scooter and Smokey.  Once she knew that they were both well placed, she felt free to leave.

Scooter went to live with a friend of my sister.  He is in a bustling household with two other kitty playmates and three young children.  Always more playful and active than Smokey, he seems to be quite happy in his new domicile.  He loves the kids, and they love him back, and he thoroughly enjoys having two other furry friends to play with!

Finding a new home for Smokey proved to be a bit more challengingg.  You may be asking why we didn’t just take her.  With two 100 pound Irish Setters, a large coyote population, an occasional mountain lion, and even a couple of beautiful lynx, our household was simply not an option for an elderly arthritic kitty.  Our doors stand open almost year round with the walk-through type of hanging screens.  We finally just gave up on traditional screen doors as the dogs viewed all screens as walk-throughs anyway!

So Smokey went to live with the wonderful people at the Evergreen Cat Lodge.  This lodge just for kitties does boarding for private guests as well as housing any number of potential adoptees and special needs cats.  Now I am not a cat, but if I were, this is definitely where I would want to go for my vacation!  This place is the Waldorf Astoria of cat boarding.  Every guest has his or her own little room with large glass windows and doors, complete with snuggly chairs, perches, and a private covered litter box—a little touch of feline privacy!   About 40 sq. feet per cat, I would guess.

As a more permanent resident, Smokey had the run of the place.  She found a couple of favorite chairs and hiding places and soon let the other cats know if they dared to get in her spot!  As her arthritis got worse and her kidneys started acting up, she was moved to a more privileged spot in the owner’s private den area where her food, water, bed, and litter box were all within easy reach.  I have to admit I didn’t stop by very often after the first couple of months to visit.  I wasn’t sure how well she even remembered me, and seeing her was a painful reminder of my own loss.

On Friday, August 12th, Susan emailed and called to let me know that Smokey was near death and did we want to have the vet put her down or let her go on her own.  She didn’t think she was in any pain, just slowly shutting down.  After a brief discussion we agreed to let her go on her own terms and not have the vet speed up the dying process.  She always hated riding in the car anyway, and I hated to think of her last moments being filled with an anxiety-provoking car ride.  I told Susan I would stop by on Saturday for a final good-bye visit, but Smokey didn’t wait that long.  Susan called later in the afternoon to tell me she was gone.

We’ll pick up her ashes when they are ready and spread them on the hillside behind the family cabin here in Colorado where we spread our Mom’s ashes two short years ago and our Dad’s oh so long ago, almost thirty-five years now.

Good bye, Smokey!  I hope you are happily purring on your Mama’s lap in a better place.

©The Eclectic Grandma, 2016