Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sigh Me says 'Goodbye'

One Week ago Sigh Me stopped eating and began to show signs of internal bleeding.  For more than a year she had been struggling with kidney problems and this time we both knew the end was near.  As I sat in the recliner all week with her in my lap, we reminisced about our time together.  These are Sigh Me's words and pictures from the last 3 years:


"Mom adopted me when I was about 5 years old. She thought I was beautiful and I think she was right.  I had very striking blue eyes and everyone I met told me I was sooooo pretty and soft to the touch.


In the beginning I was scared of my own shadow and was always looking for a good hiding place.



Mom had to be careful when she sat on the bed because I would often hide under the covers for hours and hours.


One day I hid on a shelf in the closet and stayed there for two whole days until Mom thought I had run away. 


I was afraid of people, noises, cars, and I am sure I would have run from a mouse.  So it was very stressful when Mom decided to buy Halcyon II and go traveling, with me as her companion.


I had seldom been outside and when I did venture out I stayed right with Mom...


 ...and raised Howling Hell if she went back inside without me.


So learning to adjust to a new home that bounced around, made lots of churning noises, and seemed to have a different view outside the window almost every day, took a lot of my patience.


(Why aren't there any cactus?)


To help alleviate some of my stress, Mom's son, Ron, made a little 'cat cave' for me that we dubbed the Kitty Brig.

 

I spent a lot of time in there the first few months on the road.


But as summer arrived I started looking for something cooler and softer.


The passenger seat was my favorite but Mom kept putting stuff there...


and sometimes it was just too hot to get comfortable at all.


I would often sleep with my feet up--us middle aged ladies get swollen ankles from time to time.


Soon I could sleep on the seat without running every time a truck passed by.  There were even times I began to watch the traffic out the window.


But my favorite was sharing that tiny bunk with Mom.  Somehow we would curl up together and sleep through the night like an old married couple.  She liked to hear me purring and said it put her to sleep.


The absolute worst was when she decided to put that strap on me.  I mostly refused to stand up and finally she got tired of trying and packed it away.  There was really nothing to worry about anyway.  I only escaped out of the RV twice in the 3 years we traveled and then I immediately wanted back inside.  As a rule, every time we moved back into the house I became restless for the road again.  Being a vagabond was not such a bad life after all.


I had Mom all to myself most of the time and when she was busy I would play video games.  


So it was sad to say 'Goodbye' to this most unusual life for a cat and also 'Goodbye' to the person that loved me so much.


(This was her last picture, taken on Saturday.  I spent that entire night in the recliner, with her on my lap.  At 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning my dear traveling companion looked up at me, put her paw in my hand and, sadly, stopped breathing.

Sigh Me, you will be missed.

Sigh Me,  2001--2014

12 comments:

  1. The following is an text message from Janice:
    Mom, That is an AWESOME blog entry for SighMe. Thank you! I love the swollen ankles bit too.

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  2. A beautiful memoriam for SighMe. So sorry.

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  3. My condolences on the loss of your beloved pet and best companion.

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  4. Sigh Me had a fan club and here are some of the emails I have received this week:

    From Allison Mohr


    Toni, I am so sorry your friend has died. She was such a cool traveling companion. I know you'll miss her. I'm going to miss her, I loved it when you posted pictures of her in the RV. All of my cats were total nutbags in a car, she was a good traveler.

    From Mary:
    Sign Me was an amazing traveler and a great companion for you in your journey. You both were lucky to have found each other

    and I will miss the sound of hissing when I try to displace Sigh Me off the front seat of your van.


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  5. Thank you, all, for the lovely thoughts.

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  6. My condolences. She was a beautiful and adventurous cat.

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  7. My condolences Toni. Your post is a beautiful tribute.

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  8. I am so very sorry. I know traveling will never be the same without her.

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  9. Toni- whenever I've had a moment to think in the last week my thoughts have turned to you and SighMe. My heart aches for your loss, but I know she had the most wonderful life with you, and she was much loved. And in the end, isn't that the best each of us could hope for? Thank you for the moving tribute to your companion.

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  10. An Email From Pat...
    I just read your news about Sigh Me. I am so sorry. I had no idea she was so sick. I thought she had recovered from her illness. She was a beautiful cat and I know how much you loved her. She was quite a celebrity on your blog. There were some great shots of her. Again so sorry for your loss.

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  11. So sorry! I know you are lonely for her.
    Mary and Jim were here for our New Years celebration. Jim is still out house hunting. Hope your house sells soon.
    Love,
    Marianna

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