To Absent Friends…
Saturday, May 30th, 2009Rene and I are heart-broken today due to the passing of Ernie.
So much more than just a cat or family pet, Ernie was a family member and trusted friend. For over 19 years, he was a loving companion who was always ready to give you attention and ignore you to his heart’s content.
I met Ernie when he was about to turn five years old. This was about the time that Rene and I were starting to get serious about one another, and there is no doubt in my mind that I was being brought before him for approval. I don’t remember if I was more nervous about meeting Ernie or my soon-to-be-wife’s family. Ernie was a little timid with me at first, if only because he was looking out for Rene. Rene had nursed Ernie from just a couple weeks after birth, and I do not believe it to be any exageration to say that Ernie treated Rene like his mother.
After a few years, Ernie warmed up to me enough that if he wanted to take a nap, he would seek me out and then do anything he could to get me to sit down in my recliner. Once seated, he stretched out across my upper chest and placed his head next to my left ear and fell asleep. This almost always led to me falling asleep, and I used call Ernie my “furry, gray sleeping pill.”
These past few years were rough on Ernie. He had numerous gastrointestinal problems, which put him on the surgeon’s table a few times. He always seemed to come right back after a procedure, but after his last procedure he just didn’t seem to recover like he used to. He didn’t seem to have any fight left in him; he just looked tired and each and every time he looked at me it broke my heart. I knew it was time to let him go, and that letting him go was unquestionably the right thing to do, but that sure didn’t make it any easier. I fear that Rene may not recover for a long, long time.
So, my friend and late-night TV buddy has gone on to a better place, and Rene and I are left to deal with an afterimage of his life. We are undoubtedly better off for having known and loved him, which makes this all-the-more difficult to cope and deal with. If you have a feline family member, please take the time to pick them up and let them know that you love them. Spend a little time Sunday morning in bed with them, play with them or simply take a nap with them. Rene and I did this often with Ernie, and our lives are the richer for it.
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June 1st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’m very sorry for your loss of y’all’s kitty.
I too have lost furry feline friends after many years of wonderful companionship. While our dear departed friends never can be replaced, making new ones helps me a little.
I’ll be making a donation to our local no kill shelter in memory of Ernie.
Howard
June 1st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Howard,
You are so very kind. Thank for your generosity.
Rene
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:54 am
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Wow, 19 years, what a tough little cat he must have been! No wonder you miss him so much.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
My wife and I adopted a cat when we got married and he passed away seven years later from what we think was feline HIV. We were heartbroken and at first my wife didn’t want to get another cat. But, as I suspected, adopting another kitten turned out to be the best medicine and now we have had our “new” cat for going on 12 years.
I would recommend that y’all consider adopting a new cat as well. It won’t replace what you lost, but it will give you another outlet for your affection which is what you most need right now.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I’m terribly allergic to cats, but back in the late 80s I was taking a walk when I noticed a moving garbage bag on the side of the road. Looking back, I’m not sure how I got the guts to see what was inside a moving garbage bag, but I did, and there were six extremely tiny kittens. They were wrestling each other, completely oblivious to being on the side of the road in a black garbage bag.
So we were having a fundraiser sale later that day, and I placed the little kittens (they could fit easily into the palm of my hand) into a cardboard box with a towel in the bottom and took them to the sale. We found some good homes for them, people I knew. We only had one left. Eyes itching and with hives on my arms, I took her home and named her Vanna Black (she was all black and Wheel of Fortune was popular at the time). Maybe it was because I got her when she still wasn’t properly weened from her mother, but she was the most extraordinary pet I ever owned, despite the 15 years of red eyes and hives. A more affectionate creature I’ve never known.
I tend to get wistful in advance, so we spent extra time together those last couple of years. Unfortunately, her end was much, much worse than she deserved. She loved nothing more, besides being in a lap, than to sleep under the bushes in my front yard. She didn’t like being away from the house, and she probably never got more than about 20 feet away from it in her entire life (other than during terrified trips to the vet), but she loved to relax in the shade of the shrubs. Our town is not supposed to allow loose dogs, but one day a couple of dogs found her anyway. She was too old and tired to get away. They just killed her on the edge of my property and left her there.
I was going to ask for a link exchange, but now I’m too depressed. Maybe later.
Sorry for your loss.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
Mike: We are going to get a new family member, but we have some house cleaning to do first. Hopefully, within a month or so we will begin our search for a kitten with personality.
PZ: It sounds like you got your kitten at about the same stage of life that Rene did. You must miss her terribly.
Mrs. Smith: Yes, he was a tough old bugger.
June 6th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I am so sorry about Ernie. Your Valentine kitty had a life full of love that so many kitties aren’t as lucky to have and I know he gave you the same. What a cutie he was! I am sorry for your loss.