Goodbye, Miss Gidget

Have you really been with me for six years now, and are you over eight? You still behave like a kitten, chasing your tail and doing your 'act' for guests. I've been told you should be on 'funny animal videos', crouching inside your little kitty condo and tossing toys out to our guests. But you'd never do that act for strangers, would you? It takes a long time for people to become your friend...you still bear the scars from those first two horrendous years.

When mom and I found you at the animal shelter, she was still healthy. We thought Marbles needed a companion, but at fourteen he was too old to befriend a younger cat. You were determined, however, and stuck by his side until he accepted you -- when he died, I watched you grieve.

There were a lot of cats at the animal shelter that day; unfortunately, there always are. I hate going down there, because I want to take them all home. They reached out to me, and spoke, and tried to get our attention. They are all so cute and precious, I had to fight not to cry -- I'm a terrible sap for animals, you know. But you didn't do any of those things; you sat with your back to the front of the cage, your beautiful tortoiseshell fur like a mottled stuffed toy. As I stopped in front of you, you turned and your enormous chartreuse eyes met mine. They were blank and devoid of hope. I knew your despair; you didn't understand why your kittens had been taken from you, or why you were there, but you believed no one would ever rescue you.

After we got home, Marbles stoically ignored you. You made everyone else love you, though -- the gentlest, most loving cat I've ever met, and I've known some pretty fabulous kitties. You never scratch, or bite, and you love to be touched, even when you're sleeping. It was when Mom became so ill that I realized why you had come to us. After she was confined to the wheelchair you would entertain her with your crazy antics; during her last three months when sometimes she couldn't do anything more than sit up in bed, you stayed with her. You were her Guardian Angel, weren't you? For hours you lay on that bed within her reach, barely leaving to eat or use the kitty facilities. You had lay beside Marbles during his last days on earth, and now you knew you were about to lose another friend.

Now it's just us, my lovely one. My friends call you the Goodwill Ambassador of Kitties; no one can resist your charms. Stay with me forever, little friend...my beloved cat person.