The morning routine was predictable… Moments after the first notes from the alarm clock there would be a familiar thump at the foot of the bed. That would be followed by whiskers in the face. Time to get up and start the day, which included feeding the cat.
Not this morning, nor tomorrow, nor anytime soon…
Today I buried a cat that had been part of my life for 16 years.
No more expectant eyes standing on the corner of the bed, demanding a skritch while I was attempting to dress for the day. Inevitably sitting atop of whatever clean shirt I had put there moments before. Gone is the purr from beside me while I attempt to get to sleep. I remember an escape artist that defeated my ever more elaborate barriers to keep a litter of kittens safely in a linoleum floored kitchen. I remember hot days of Tucson sun, lying in the shade of the old tangerine tree. I remember hours of yowling as we drove to San Diego, the first leg of the move to Hawai’i.
I picked her from the litter, the little grey furball. Named for the star Epsilon Canis Majoris, Adhara, sometimes spelled Adara. This star was once the brightest star in the Earth’s sky, though it has faded as it has drifted away from Earth over the eons.
Now, all we have in an empty house and freshly turned earth beneath an adenium in the front yard.
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Sweet and sad, Andrew. That’s a fitting tribute…
I buried my faithful red malamute, Otter, on the hill above my house where he could watch over me, And I’m planning on going in next to him when the time comes… Our pets are us.
When Pete moved to Hawaii I inherited his old cat. She got sick from the smoke during our big wildfire, and I ended up putting her in a cedar box in the garden next to his old place.
What a great loss, the both of them. I will also miss the “thump” at the foot of the bed when I come visit as well as the snuggles of Miss Spica. I had to put my own treasured cat, Sunshine, to sleep one year, and like you, my house then became a home. I know the pain of this loss all too well, and my thoughts are with you both.
our prayers go to you both
Sorry to hear this news Andrew! Wow, you had 16 years with that cat – how wonderful was that! Aloha
Oh Andrew…I am so sorry and know the pain of losing a dear friend…what a lovely kitty…I so miss my Ginger and she use to curl up in the crook of my arm when I was reading…she was born at Anna Ranch…so wild at first and then 14yrs of love…she’s buried right under my bedroom window with some ginger planted for her…Aloha…