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