When I went to the vet yesterday, I had Bitey and her sister Fingers together in a crate. When I came home, I had Fingers in a crate, and Bitey in a cardboard box.
Bitey and Fingers were extremely close siblings. Last April or so, when Fingers downloaded a brood of three kittens, Bitey stayed with her and protected her, and helped mother and even nurse the kittens.
Bitey and Fingers were found invariably together, playing with each other (often “volleyball with a grasshopper”), hunting varmints together, whatever. If one got food, the other was sure to be along within just a few minutes. As far as I know, they’ve never been apart more than a single night.
I went out today to get groceries and take some photos (a storm blew through, and that’s usually pretty photogenic in the mountains). When I got home tonight, Fingers dashed into the garage, chattering up a storm, searching around among all the clutter. I brought her into the house and let her into the basement (keeping her away from my three “official” cats, due to the risk of her having leukemia as well and possibly spreading the virus) so that she could spend a night in the warm and dry; she immediately proceded to run around all the clutter in the basement, calling out. Then she clawed at the door to be let out, whereupon she ran up the steps and searched around under the deck, calling out. She came in and out half a dozen times before deciding to take off into the night, calling out the whole time.
Anyone who suggests that animals are incapable of emotions have never seen a cat trying to find her lifelong best friend. Anyone who suggests that engineers are incapable of emotions have never seen an engineer watch a cat search piteously for her best friend… knowing that she’ll never find her.
One Response to “More cat-related heartbreak”
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Scott;
My wife and I would like to express our sympathies, the loss of a loved animal companion is a heart-break that can still bring tears even after a decade or more.
My wife and I have had cat(s) since we got married 22 years ago, they have always been a part of the family, more so I suppose since we can’t have children ourselves. We started with a little bundle of fur from a local animal shelter whom we named “Sherbert” due to her coloration and she immediatly developed the habit of insuring that both my wife and I were thoroughly “cleaned” prior to curling up between our pillows to sleep with us.
She was also our first encounter with Feline Lukimia, but far from our last. Years late we inheirted a pair of cats called “JJ” and “Mau-Mau” who were as close to each other as you describe “Fingers” and “Bitey” and were horrified to learn that both had been exposed to and contracted Fe-Luk.
It was early enough that with aggresive treatment “JJ” pulled through, but we lost “Mau-Mau” who was my wife’s ‘baby’ since they had met.
“JJ” and my wife ended up pulling each other through their mutal loss, and I’ve a feeling that “Fingers” will be back often to see how you’re doing as well as be near the person who reminds her of her best friend.
I hope these words help somewhat, though I know they can’t help enough and the hurt will always be there. I can just hope that they may remind you to remember the life that was touched and touched by that bundle of fur, and how it is said that all the animals whose lives you’ve touched are waiting for you in heaven. (My wife suggests they are probably waiting for you to change the litter box and feed them :o)
Randy