To my older cat...

Where oh where was the TW for this message?

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Looking into your eyes now, I don't see that sparkle of mischievousness that
used to make them glow with the joy of life and the exuberance of youth.
Instead there are spots there."Iris Pigmentation" the vet calls it, normal
for your age, something like liver spots in older people - yes, I'm familiar
with those. Your eyes are misted, cloudy with the years you've lived. But
those eyes still look at me with love and can still melt my heart. The
power of your eyes has not dimmed in the least.

Your fur is not as sleek and shiny now, you don't groom as much as when you
were a young and prideful girl - arthritis keeps you bending as easily as
you once did. There are spots that are patchy and dry, places where the
hair is thinning (mine is thinning too, my love). Never mind, I will brush
your coat for you, tenderly smoothing those places that are now hard for you
to reach with your scratchy little tongue. My payment for all the times
that tongue lovingly dried the tears on my cheeks when life or love was
treating me badly.

Those legs, once powerful enough to leap to the highest perch, now tremble a
bit when you walk. My heart breaks when I see you eying a favorite napping
spot that you can no longer reach, and then quietly retreating to a corner
on the floor to rest. Be at ease my sweet, I will lift you to wherever you
want to go. I owe you that for all the times you lifted my heart and made
me laugh with your cavorting through the house in pursuit of a fly! I will
be there for you as you have always been for me. I can't run and play as I
did in my youth either, but we can sit together in front of a fire to warm
our tired old bones and reminisce about the time when we thought we could
conquer the world.

Your heart, once so strong and steady, now falters with age. Please, please
dear heart, keep beating, defy the end and stay with me a little longer. My
own heart will break beyond repair when you are taken from me. Your tiny
heart has always been big enough to hold a whole universe full of love, and
generous enough to forgive me all my faults and stupid mistakes. Yours is
the only heart that has been ever steadfast and true, unlike so many others
that may have been bigger in physical size, but so much smaller in the
capacity to love and forgive. You have always accepted me as I am and never
faltered in your love and devotion to me. I will love you to the end and
beyond, I will never forget you after you have been forced to leave me. My
love will go beyond the grave and lift you to the farthest star, my dear.

I will always remember the gift you gave me, the greatest gift imaginable,
the gift of your life, the gift of your love. I can never repay what you
have given me. I stand in awe of your devotion to such a frail and fallible
soul such as me. The times I ignored you (when someone not nearly as
deserving took my attention from you), the times I left you to fend for
yourself while I took care of more "important" business - oh how those times
now sear my soul with their loss. How I wish now I could recapture those
lost chances to be with you. I know that our time together is so short now
and each second with you is precious beyond belief. Please make those
moments stretch out long enough to assuage my need for your purrs, your nose
kisses, your love.

You no longer pounce through our home with your tail held high, but that is
as it should be. The time we do have left can better be spent cuddled
close, in peace, softly dreaming of what was and hopeful of what will be.

My dear heart, may I have the grace to appreciate when we have, and the
courage to face what will come. I know I can never match your indomitable
spirit, your dignity, and your acceptance of what life brings, so please
lend me your faith that life is good as it is and death will bring peace and
a well deserved rest for a friend who was the best friend I will ever have.

Hugs,

CatNipped

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:02:49 -0600, "CatNipped"
yodeled:


(snip)

Oh Lori.

This is in the back of my mind all the time. Stinky is 14 now, and I
force myself to think about it sometimes, because he is so much the
same as he has ever been, and whatever changes I see are so very small
and subtle. But I still watch carefully. Mimi was this age when I
lost her to CRF, and she was very vigorous up to practically the day
before she died. There are times-- more and more often-- when the
little boogerhead sits on my lap or my chest, and looks at me with
those goofy eyes of his, and I say inside my head, "Don't leave me
yet. Don't leave me for a long, long time yet."



Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

*sniffle*

I'm wiping away tears ... that was beautiful.

On 2005-02-14, CatNipped penned:
Looking into your eyes now, I don't see that sparkle of mischievousness that
used to make them glow with the joy of life and the exuberance of youth.
Instead there are spots there."Iris Pigmentation" the vet calls it, normal
for your age, something like liver spots in older people - yes, I'm familiar
with those. Your eyes are misted, cloudy with the years you've lived. But
those eyes still look at me with love and can still melt my heart. The
power of your eyes has not dimmed in the least.

Your fur is not as sleek and shiny now, you don't groom as much as when you
were a young and prideful girl - arthritis keeps you bending as easily as
you once did. There are spots that are patchy and dry, places where the
hair is thinning (mine is thinning too, my love). Never mind, I will brush
your coat for you, tenderly smoothing those places that are now hard for you
to reach with your scratchy little tongue. My payment for all the times
that tongue lovingly dried the tears on my cheeks when life or love was
treating me badly.

Those legs, once powerful enough to leap to the highest perch, now tremble a
bit when you walk. My heart breaks when I see you eying a favorite napping
spot that you can no longer reach, and then quietly retreating to a corner
on the floor to rest. Be at ease my sweet, I will lift you to wherever you
want to go. I owe you that for all the times you lifted my heart and made
me laugh with your cavorting through the house in pursuit of a fly! I will
be there for you as you have always been for me. I can't run and play as I
did in my youth either, but we can sit together in front of a fire to warm
our tired old bones and reminisce about the time when we thought we could
conquer the world.

Your heart, once so strong and steady, now falters with age. Please, please
dear heart, keep beating, defy the end and stay with me a little longer. My
own heart will break beyond repair when you are taken from me. Your tiny
heart has always been big enough to hold a whole universe full of love, and
generous enough to forgive me all my faults and stupid mistakes. Yours is
the only heart that has been ever steadfast and true, unlike so many others
that may have been bigger in physical size, but so much smaller in the
capacity to love and forgive. You have always accepted me as I am and never
faltered in your love and devotion to me. I will love you to the end and
beyond, I will never forget you after you have been forced to leave me. My
love will go beyond the grave and lift you to the farthest star, my dear.

I will always remember the gift you gave me, the greatest gift imaginable,
the gift of your life, the gift of your love. I can never repay what you
have given me. I stand in awe of your devotion to such a frail and fallible
soul such as me. The times I ignored you (when someone not nearly as
deserving took my attention from you), the times I left you to fend for
yourself while I took care of more "important" business - oh how those times
now sear my soul with their loss. How I wish now I could recapture those
lost chances to be with you. I know that our time together is so short now
and each second with you is precious beyond belief. Please make those
moments stretch out long enough to assuage my need for your purrs, your nose
kisses, your love.

You no longer pounce through our home with your tail held high, but that is
as it should be. The time we do have left can better be spent cuddled
close, in peace, softly dreaming of what was and hopeful of what will be.

My dear heart, may I have the grace to appreciate when we have, and the
courage to face what will come. I know I can never match your indomitable
spirit, your dignity, and your acceptance of what life brings, so please
lend me your faith that life is good as it is and death will bring peace and
a well deserved rest for a friend who was the best friend I will ever have.

Hugs,

CatNipped



--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
Where oh where was the TW for this message?

Sorry! I've been wanting to write this for some time now. Bandit will be
15 in less than two months and is starting to slow down enough to make me
realize I might not have all that much time left with her. How do you say
thank you for such lifelong devotion?!

Hugs,

CatNipped

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

"Kreisleriana" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:02:49 -0600, "CatNipped"
yodeled:


(snip)

Oh Lori.

This is in the back of my mind all the time. Stinky is 14 now, and I
force myself to think about it sometimes, because he is so much the
same as he has ever been, and whatever changes I see are so very small
and subtle. But I still watch carefully. Mimi was this age when I
lost her to CRF, and she was very vigorous up to practically the day
before she died. There are times-- more and more often-- when the
little boogerhead sits on my lap or my chest, and looks at me with
those goofy eyes of his, and I say inside my head, "Don't leave me
yet. Don't leave me for a long, long time yet."

I know. Just the thought of what I'm going to have to face when her time
comes fills me with dread. I want to make every minute with her last for
hours and I never want to let her go!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
*sniffle*

I'm wiping away tears ... that was beautiful.

Thank you, Monique. My beautiful Bandit is getting up there in years and
that terrifies me. I still haven't captured what's in my heart for her. I
don't think there are words to tell her how much I appreciate all the things
she's given me and all the love and devotion she so unstintingly provided
all these years.

Hugs,

CatNipped

On 2005-02-14, CatNipped penned:
Looking into your eyes now, I don't see that sparkle of mischievousness
that
used to make them glow with the joy of life and the exuberance of youth.
Instead there are spots there."Iris Pigmentation" the vet calls it,
normal
for your age, something like liver spots in older people - yes, I'm
familiar
with those. Your eyes are misted, cloudy with the years you've lived.
But
those eyes still look at me with love and can still melt my heart. The
power of your eyes has not dimmed in the least.

Your fur is not as sleek and shiny now, you don't groom as much as when
you
were a young and prideful girl - arthritis keeps you bending as easily as
you once did. There are spots that are patchy and dry, places where the
hair is thinning (mine is thinning too, my love). Never mind, I will
brush
your coat for you, tenderly smoothing those places that are now hard for
you
to reach with your scratchy little tongue. My payment for all the times
that tongue lovingly dried the tears on my cheeks when life or love was
treating me badly.

Those legs, once powerful enough to leap to the highest perch, now
tremble a
bit when you walk. My heart breaks when I see you eying a favorite
napping
spot that you can no longer reach, and then quietly retreating to a
corner
on the floor to rest. Be at ease my sweet, I will lift you to wherever
you
want to go. I owe you that for all the times you lifted my heart and
made
me laugh with your cavorting through the house in pursuit of a fly! I
will
be there for you as you have always been for me. I can't run and play as
I
did in my youth either, but we can sit together in front of a fire to
warm
our tired old bones and reminisce about the time when we thought we could
conquer the world.

Your heart, once so strong and steady, now falters with age. Please,
please
dear heart, keep beating, defy the end and stay with me a little longer.
My
own heart will break beyond repair when you are taken from me. Your tiny
heart has always been big enough to hold a whole universe full of love,
and
generous enough to forgive me all my faults and stupid mistakes. Yours
is
the only heart that has been ever steadfast and true, unlike so many
others
that may have been bigger in physical size, but so much smaller in the
capacity to love and forgive. You have always accepted me as I am and
never
faltered in your love and devotion to me. I will love you to the end and
beyond, I will never forget you after you have been forced to leave me.
My
love will go beyond the grave and lift you to the farthest star, my dear.

I will always remember the gift you gave me, the greatest gift
imaginable,
the gift of your life, the gift of your love. I can never repay what you
have given me. I stand in awe of your devotion to such a frail and
fallible
soul such as me. The times I ignored you (when someone not nearly as
deserving took my attention from you), the times I left you to fend for
yourself while I took care of more "important" business - oh how those
times
now sear my soul with their loss. How I wish now I could recapture those
lost chances to be with you. I know that our time together is so short
now
and each second with you is precious beyond belief. Please make those
moments stretch out long enough to assuage my need for your purrs, your
nose
kisses, your love.

You no longer pounce through our home with your tail held high, but that
is
as it should be. The time we do have left can better be spent cuddled
close, in peace, softly dreaming of what was and hopeful of what will be.

My dear heart, may I have the grace to appreciate when we have, and the
courage to face what will come. I know I can never match your
indomitable
spirit, your dignity, and your acceptance of what life brings, so please
lend me your faith that life is good as it is and death will bring peace
and
a well deserved rest for a friend who was the best friend I will ever
have.

Hugs,

CatNipped



--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:02:49 -0600, "CatNipped"
wrote:

Looking into your eyes now, I don't see that sparkle of mischievousness that
used to make them glow with the joy of life and the exuberance of youth.

Sorry - I can't finish reading this right now - can't see the
monitor through the tears. After a couple of paragraphs, I've saved
the post and will read it later when I feel "tougher".

Jeanne

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:02:49 -0600, "CatNipped"
wrote:

Looking into your eyes now, I don't see that sparkle of mischievousness that
used to make them glow with the joy of life and the exuberance of youth.
Instead there are spots there."Iris Pigmentation" the vet calls it, normal
for your age, something like liver spots in older people - yes, I'm familiar
with those. Your eyes are misted, cloudy with the years you've lived. But
those eyes still look at me with love and can still melt my heart. The
power of your eyes has not dimmed in the least.

Your fur is not as sleek and shiny now, you don't groom as much as when you
were a young and prideful girl - arthritis keeps you bending as easily as
you once did. There are spots that are patchy and dry, places where the
hair is thinning (mine is thinning too, my love). Never mind, I will brush
your coat for you, tenderly smoothing those places that are now hard for you
to reach with your scratchy little tongue. My payment for all the times
that tongue lovingly dried the tears on my cheeks when life or love was
treating me badly.

Those legs, once powerful enough to leap to the highest perch, now tremble a
bit when you walk. My heart breaks when I see you eying a favorite napping
spot that you can no longer reach, and then quietly retreating to a corner
on the floor to rest. Be at ease my sweet, I will lift you to wherever you
want to go. I owe you that for all the times you lifted my heart and made
me laugh with your cavorting through the house in pursuit of a fly! I will
be there for you as you have always been for me. I can't run and play as I
did in my youth either, but we can sit together in front of a fire to warm
our tired old bones and reminisce about the time when we thought we could
conquer the world.

Your heart, once so strong and steady, now falters with age. Please, please
dear heart, keep beating, defy the end and stay with me a little longer. My
own heart will break beyond repair when you are taken from me. Your tiny
heart has always been big enough to hold a whole universe full of love, and
generous enough to forgive me all my faults and stupid mistakes. Yours is
the only heart that has been ever steadfast and true, unlike so many others
that may have been bigger in physical size, but so much smaller in the
capacity to love and forgive. You have always accepted me as I am and never
faltered in your love and devotion to me. I will love you to the end and
beyond, I will never forget you after you have been forced to leave me. My
love will go beyond the grave and lift you to the farthest star, my dear.

I will always remember the gift you gave me, the greatest gift imaginable,
the gift of your life, the gift of your love. I can never repay what you
have given me. I stand in awe of your devotion to such a frail and fallible
soul such as me. The times I ignored you (when someone not nearly as
deserving took my attention from you), the times I left you to fend for
yourself while I took care of more "important" business - oh how those times
now sear my soul with their loss. How I wish now I could recapture those
lost chances to be with you. I know that our time together is so short now
and each second with you is precious beyond belief. Please make those
moments stretch out long enough to assuage my need for your purrs, your nose
kisses, your love.

You no longer pounce through our home with your tail held high, but that is
as it should be. The time we do have left can better be spent cuddled
close, in peace, softly dreaming of what was and hopeful of what will be.

My dear heart, may I have the grace to appreciate when we have, and the
courage to face what will come. I know I can never match your indomitable
spirit, your dignity, and your acceptance of what life brings, so please
lend me your faith that life is good as it is and death will bring peace and
a well deserved rest for a friend who was the best friend I will ever have.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Oh, CatNipped, this is so beautiful. I am going to save it. It
brought tears.

Ginger-lyn
with Cosmo (15), Sabra (15), and Internet (16)

CatNipped wrote:

---------------------snip----------------------
My dear heart, may I have the grace to appreciate when we have, and the
courage to face what will come. I know I can never match your indomitable
spirit, your dignity, and your acceptance of what life brings, so please
lend me your faith that life is good as it is and death will bring peace and
a well deserved rest for a friend who was the best friend I will ever have.

Hugs,

CatNipped

That was one of the most moving things I've ever read. I count every
day I have with my sweet Lady Jane Grey as a gift. She seemed to be
about four years old when we adopted her and we've had her about
seventeen years. She's slowed down a little, but not much. She still
goes wild-eyed when the peacock feather comes out and if you wiggle
your fingers over the edge of the arm of a chair she'll still jump up
and 'bap' you one. I don't know how I'll get to sleep without her
sitting on my chest when she's gone.

I hope you have many full years with your precious Bandit left to you.
The souls of a person and a cat together are greater than the sum of
the parts. She must be a special little girl indeed to have inspired
you so.

Hugs and Purrs,
O J