R.I.P. Missy

Missy - 1999-2019

20 people years, 96 cat years.

Brought to us as a tiny, tiny thing, not yet weaned when the mother abandoned the kittens, I remember twice daily using a baby teaspoon to drip a warmed milk and water mixture onto her mouth and being delighted when she licked it off.

We progressed to Missy licking milk off my finger and eventually following the finger into the bowl of milk which then got slightly thickened with Weetbix for extra nourishment. From there she quickly moved on to soft cat food before beginning to steal raw and cooked meats from the table after clawing her way up the chairs.

Missy chose "no-one" as her Mum and spent a lot of time in her bedroom when she wasn't outside. Always slightly feral and always a very small cat under a huge amount of fluffy hair, "no-one" and I arrived home one day to find a very satisfied kitty and a clump of bird feathers on the front porch. Under the porch table was a beak and one foot. That's all we found. Missy caught and ate an entire bird!

Several months later I walked into the kitchen to find Missy on the table helping herself to a corner of our roast beef dinner. I cut off the corner and gave it to her, then served up dinner and didn't say a word.

As she got older, Missy preferred to spend more time outside and didn't like to be picked up or patted, but eventually we had to put her food and water bowls inside as the neighbour cats were eating Missy's food. One of those neighbour cats was pregnant and she was Angel's mother.

Just a couple of years ago, Missy began spending more time inside and actually began sleeping on "no-one's" bed with her. This year Missy would often climb up onto "no-one's" chest for  comfort and cuddling. She even began to purr which was a rare thing for Missy. She still didn't allow me to pat her and would sometimes hiss at me if I tried or if I walked too close to her on my way to open the door and let her out.

Most recently, every time I visited, I would go outside to Missy's favourite sleeping place and say hello, then Missy would follow me inside to eat and drink a bit before going back out.  she even allowed me to gently scratch behind her ears for about two seconds. 
We noticed that she was becoming slower and would sometimes go into "no-one's" room while K was at work and call for her. I would go in and let Missy know that her Mum wasn't home yet but would be here after her long afternoon nap. I visited a couple of days a week, mostly to check on Missy. Her appetite remained good right up until a few days ago.

A couple of months ago, Missy's waking times were fewer and her breathing became slower, although she did still follow me inside to eat a bit before calling for "no-one" then going back outside. Last Monday, I noticed her breathing was very shallow with quite some time between each breath.

Missy passed away on Thursday, December 12th, while "no-one" was at work.  She came home and found her and let me know right away. I cried and cried. I'll miss her, but I am glad Missy won't be suffering through our three days of 40C next week.

Missy about four years ago, maybe five, calmly watching a butterfly.

Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Sandi; we'll miss her. That corner of the kitchen looks so empty now her food dishes and mats are gone.

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  2. You can be happy that you provided Missy a wonderful place to live and a loving family to live with.
    Thank you for sharing her story. As I read your words and viewed her picture I could identify with your sad feelings. Pets bring such joy to us.

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    1. nothoughtsnoprayersnonothing; thank you. she wasn't a cuddly cat, wouldn't allow patting from anyone but "no-one", but she was always just there.

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  3. Ahh...20 years is a good run for a cat, but not long enough for her human. Sorry for your loss.

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    1. joeh; thank you, we knew she was going, but still it was hard. I'll have to go through it again when my Lola gets old, she is already almost 11.

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  4. I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is so hard. She was so sweet and lived a long happy life! xxx

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    1. Rain; thank you. She was a sweet little thing but grew to be prickly and cantankerous with most people in her last years.

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  5. I'm so sorry for your loss. After twenty years of loving her, I'm sure you're feeling her loss deeply, but it sounds like you have lots of good memories. I chuckled at you cutting off the corner of the roast and then serving the rest of it. A couple of Christmases ago, I made a big glorious cheesecake to carry to our daughter's house for a big dinner there. The cake was cooling on the kitchen table, and when I came back to check on it, there was a cat paw-sized scoop missing from it. I merely scooped a bit away around the edges of the paw print, covered the cake with a decadent topping... and carried it to the party. :)

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    1. Susan; thank you. Missy was "no-one's" cat more than mine, but I cried a bucket load of tears too. I wonder how many similar food stories are out there?

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  6. I am so very, very sorry. They make a permanent home in our hearts and it hurts when they leave. My sympathies go out to you and to no-one.

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    1. Elephant's Child; thank you. I'm sure "no-one" is feeling it more deeply, since Missy lived in her house, slept on her bed and now sleeps in her garden.

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  7. So very sad...what more can I say...other than to repeat...so very sad...

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    1. Lee; thank you, the tears fall again as I read all these comments.

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    2. I understand, River....it is heartbreaking....so very heartbreaking...

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  8. Sorry to hear about Missy's demise. It took me a while to work out whose cat she was. I was thinking you had a cat that you had never mentioned. The day they depart is the worst thing about having a cat or dog.

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    1. Andrew; my daughter's cat. I was still living there when Missy came to us and did all the early feeding to keep her going, she was so tiny. Missy chose "no-one" as her mum though, and I was okay with that.

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  9. Sorry to hear about Missy. It's hard to let go of furry members of the family, because they ARE members of the family.

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    Replies
    1. Val; thank you. They do become family members, crawling deep into our hearts.

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  10. Twenty years is close to eternity for an outdoor cat. You were able to watch her slip away as easily as she slipped into your life. The in-betweens are certainly interesting. She brooked no interference in cat life. Farewell, good girl.

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    1. Joanne; thank you. Missy certainly did prefer the outdoors, only spending nights inside in her later years and more recently sleeping inside during the day if it was very cold outside. Her favourite spot was the tiny 'lean-to' that we called the shed, off the back of the house away from the weather and that's where she slipped away in her final sleep.

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  11. It's always hard to lose a part of your family. She was a beautiful cat.

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    1. Kathy G; than you. She was beautiful, so sleek and shiny with health.

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  12. Replies
    1. peppylady (Dora) thank you. Time will ease the pain.

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  13. Oh.
    I am so sorry, but 96 years sounds like she had a great life with you.
    So much funny memories, too. The roast beef made me smile :-)
    I sure want a cat, but Hubby says, what about holidays, what about...
    I´d cry myself dizzy if something bad happened.
    I am glad I can enjoy watching cat-pics and videos on Facebook (yes, a digital cat person only).
    So hope the place will always remind you of her but not make you cry anymore... Hugs...

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  14. I am so sorry River. Our pets find the places in our hearts that not everyone gets to go. Twenty years was a grand stretch for you both. That her passing seemed easy for her had to help.

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  15. My heart aches for you. It's not easy to say good-bye, even if we know it is time.

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