Soft Kitty, Pretty Kitty

As you may have read in my post day before yesterday, our beloved cat Lucy was doing very badly so Dayle took her to the vet to see what was wrong.  I went swimming and tried hard not to cry while I swam back and forth.  After swimming I went to Craft Warehouse and selected some more fabric for my yo-yo project.. when I was checking out Dayle called and told me.. it was not good.. her kidneys had shut down and were filled with tumors.  With lots of tears from us both, the decision was made to free our sweet little girl from her misery.  Sigh.

Lucy had a nice long life for a cat.  Shall I tell you the story of how she became mine?  My Dad's girlfriend, Betty, knew I'd been wanting a cat.  I got a call from her she asked me if I wanted a cat from someone in her family who was looking for a home for her.  I said, "What kind of cat is she?", Betty said, "I don't know, but they paid $500 for her."  :-)  So, I figured that any cat that cost that must be a good cat.  I made arrangements to meet the girl giving her away at Betty's that evening.  

When she opened the box I was slightly worried that I'd made a bad decision as all I could see were mottled ears and a funny face.. I thought there was something wrong with her, but I took her anyway. 

Her owner who'd paid so much for her had big plans of breeding her and making some $$ for the kittens, but she'd gotten loose and mated with a neighborhood cat and the woman was so upset with her she gave the cat and kittens to her daughter.  The daughter fell in love with one of the kittens and decided to give Lucy away - and that's how she came to be mine. 

When I brought her home to my houseboat and had a good look and she was small, sad and scared.. and hungry.  Her old home had a bunch of big dogs and other cats and I don't think she got much to eat.  She hid for the first hours but made herself at home quickly and enjoyed not having to fight for her dinner. 

She got big and beautiful and has been a joy for the 13 years that I had her.  The dog claims my left thigh to sleep on while I watch tv or use my laptop computer.  Lucy would decide to come up and join us on many an occasion, it was a bit crowded. :-)  We had Lucy already when we got Buddy (our Cairn Terrier) 10 years ago - so she was like a sister to him, they had an odd relationship, but I know they loved each other.  

We had my great grandmother's baby chair by the TV and I looked up and there was Lucy, looking beautiful.

During the winter while we warm our house with the wood pellet stove, she'd often be found on top of it keeping warm. 

She was fascinated with my art and craft projects.. here she is watching me make my Alicia Paulson Maggie Maria Bunny...  

But mostly she love when I knitted or crocheted, watching the yarn move around intently.  She was so cute.  Dayle thought that she looked mean.. but not me.. I saw the beauty in her. 

Dayle took it real hard having to be the one to take her to the vet and talk to me for us to make the decision, he was embarrassed at the vets as he told me he cried like a little girl when he held and petted her as they were giving her the shots.  He is such a good man as he knew how hard it would be for me to be there so he took care of things so I wouldn't have to... He dug a grave at the top of our waterfall and buried her there.  ::sigh:: 

He moved his favorite garden statue and placed it right above her grave.  She was a Tortoise Point Himalayan so he thought the Chinese warrior would be an appropriate guard and headstone for our beloved kitty.

And so.. there is something missing in our home.  She was always there, sleeping somewhere, playing "let the dog chase me" game, slinking through the room, sitting on my lap.  ::sigh::

Soft kitty, pretty kitty, little ball of fur, happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr. 

Soft Kitty lyrics, from the Big Bang Theory TV program