So the back story on all this drama is this; most of you know that we love animals in this house...and even though sometimes it gets overwhelming having a dog and 3 cats, it's fun, and we like them...even if our parents didn't always relish the idea of adding more pets to the house...they let us...we love the animals! So, my girl cat, Lucy, started disappearing this spring, she'd be gone for a day or two, and then just re-appear...she'd done this a few years earlier, but it always worries me. So, a few weeks ago she disappeared for about 5 days, and I was convinced that she had been hurt, and run off to pass away...but then one day while JT and I were playing in the living room, we heard a soft meow, and there she was, in all her fluffy, white glory!! So, once again she has disappeared and with the heat and all I have been on pins and needles waiting for her return...5 days now , and nothing...so pray, for the cat, and for me, I get so worried!
That being said, my other cat Flipper, is the opposite, he loves to be around all the time, and even though he ventures off across the street or down the street , mostly to find lizards to bring home and play with, he is always around! So, the other night, I was typing some emails on the computer, and of course Flipper was bugging me, and stepping on the keyboard and just really getting on my nerves, so I put him outside while I finished. When I was done, I went to bring him in but he wanted to stay out...probably because it was like 90* in the house, and so nice and cool outside...so I just went on to bed. About 5 am my dad who was leaving for work , noticed that Flipper was stretched out on the grass...and if you know Flipper you know that he does this a lot, but he looked different to my dad so he went over to him and realized that Flipper had passed away.....he came to tell me...I was in shock, I couldn't believe that my sweet, friendly, kitty was gone! I was beside myself standing there in the front yard...just standing...we couldn't really see what happened to him so we thought that maybe he was hit by a car, but then when we picked him up to wrap him in a blanket, we saw the BIG gash on his little neck...something attacked him...our vet, who we took him to for cremation, said that either a large cat, or dog did the damage....I still can't believe it...I was so frustrated with him that night, and all he wanted was my attention...guilt sucks!!! I know that it might be weird to think that such a small little kitty could have such a profound impact on a persons life, but Flipper did...he was amazing! Flipper was Grandma Sadie's companion, all the way to the end...she loved that cat, and he adored her...and my mom, she was always with the cats, and they loved her too! Flipper was a little runt, but he was spunky, and full of life, and he loved adventures! Flipper was JT's favorite, mostly because he didn't care if JT pulled his tail or his ears, or if he tackled him full-on, he loved all the attention...he was a total ham!!So, we are all very sad over here, and our loss is deep and real, he was a big part of our little existence here, and he will be so deeply missed!!! So, to our little Flipper, thank you for 10 funny, adventurous, wonderful years, you were such a great friend, and companion to us all, you never ceased to amaze us with all the crazy things you could do, or all the trouble you could get into. Thank you for being our comfort in times of sadness, and our comic relief in times of despair, you were amazing...and we will always have a place in our hearts reserved for our little Flipper...the smallest cat, with the biggest heart!!
So, as we are trying to deal with all of this...Scott and Sarah make the generous offer to get me a new kitty...(not to replace Flipper, because no kitty ever could),so that we can give a kitty a home filled with love and add some joy back into our lives! So, I think great, let's at least start looking..so today we brave the 100* weather and go out to see kitty's..we find a cutie..but decide to wait until we find just the right one. We come home, and I notice that our doggy, Jackie, has decided to come into the garage to cool off, so I go to check on her.....she is not doing well. Jackie has been getting older, she went partially blind, earlier this year, and she lost some of her hearing too! She has just been having some trouble, and we had decided that we were going to have her put down in about a week...her quality of life was just getting bad. So, when I went to check on her this afternoon, she was just so pitiful, and mind you this morning, I put her outside, gave her the water and the food, walked her a bit, but now she was just listless, she wouldn't take water, or food...and there was this smell..I couldn't place it at first...but then Sarah said I think she's bleeding, and sure enough, on her back side area she was damp-ish, with blood and fluid....so now I am feeling really awful, this poor puppy is suffering, and it's awful. So, I decide, let's take her to the vet, only I can't lift her, and she won't budge, there's wetness everywhere, a bad smell,and now the flies have come to swarm her...I call animal control, and ask them what to do...they dispatch an officer...it takes them 2 hours to get to us, but the officer is so nice and caring, he is gentle to her, and is very kind to me, he lets me know that they will take her to the hospital and examine her, and a vet will decide if she can be helped, or if it is too late, but based on her condition, we all know that she is not going to make it. The officer is so nice, and I am so grateful to God for sending such a caring and considerate person to us in our hour of need. So, now in just a matter of 36 hours, we have lost our kitty, and our dog, and our girl kitty is missing...the only one left is Mr. Brightside, who has been thoroughly traumatized by all this...so all I can say is...PRAY...that our other cat comes home, that the void left by our animal family heals soon, and that our sadness leaves soon! So, to Jackie, the never-barks dog, I say thank you for 5 years of faithful service and love. For the many mornings Sarah and I chased you down the street in out PJ's, for the holes you dug in the back yard, for all the cookies and table food that you shared with us, for all the movies that you sat next to mom through, for doing your best not to pee on my new carpet, and for hanging out at the old apartments with me and Sarah, and for all the great times you gave us, we will miss you. You came to us at a time when we were sad over the loss of our beloved doggy Dreyfuss, and you cheered us up, and while some say that we rescued you from that pound, I think that you rescued us from our sadness....so while we mourn your departure from us and this life, we will hold dear all the many memories that we shared together these last years...may you find peace, sweet little girl!! So like I said, it has been a rough week, and hopefully the weekend will be a time a peace for us! We turn to God in our sadness, even over the death of our beloved furry friends...he sustains us, he brings comfort...we lean on Him in our grief.
Flipper Huckeba (1998-2008)
Jackie Huckeba (in our family since 2003)
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