Freak Magnet Dave

Wednesday night we took our old cat, Calicoco, to the vet to be put down. It's a terrible thing to have to go through, but we knew it was the right thing to do. She was so thin and lethargic. She wouldn't even eat a piece of turkey I offered her. Not a good sign. We also discovered that she had started to use the carpet in the soon-to-be master bedroom as a litter box. I guess we'll be replacing that.

As much as we anticipated this coming, it didn't minimize the pain or amount of tears shed. The Squeeze and I often joked, telling Cali that if she keeps up whatever annoying thing she was doing, she'd get the big needle. Ya, we're morbid like that sometimes. When it actually happens, it's not so funny.

We were greeted at the vet's office by their resident cat who looked bang-on like our old boy Emmet who had to be put down two years ago. It made us think that Emmet was waiting for Cali on the other side. This time we chose to not stay and witness her passing. It was torture to watch Emmet's life end, and we just couldn't bear to do it again. We held her one last time and handed her over. As we walked out to the car we both sobbed. I have some guilt over not being there to comfort her as she slipped away, but I know she was in caring hands.

I'm trying to find some comfort in the thought that Cali is once again with her pal Emmet and The Squeeze's mother (Cali's original guardian). Even though we no longer need to worry about keeping her from eating my orchids, or stepping in a puddle of her vomit, or making sure we're home at a regular time to give her her meds and feed her, we're really going to miss her. I miss her loud purrs and silent meows. I even miss when she would find her voice at 4 or 5 in the morning and wail throughout the house.

She was the furthest thing from a lap cat you could imagine, until I managed to coax her on my lap with her Feline Greenies. For the past couple of years you could hardly get her off your lap. I'm glad we we able to share that contact. I'll miss the way she would drool while you pet her, and the way she would sit at the patio door for hours watching chipmunks and squirrels in the back yard. I still expect to see her on the couch when I walk through the house. It's pretty quiet in here.