Tonight we're saying a sad goodbye to one of our family members, Fletcher. He's been with us ever since he was a kitten. My wife found him when he was 3 or 4 months old. He was being terrorized by the neighborhood kids. She drove over, swooped him up, and brought him home to live with us. We've had him for about ten years, until today.
Fletcher was one of the most lovable, friendly, likable creatures I've ever met. Bright-eyed with long gray fur with little tuffs of white and white paws. He was always there to greet us at the door upon every return. He's been my kid's playmate since he was born. They played together all the time, every day. Fletcher was an attention hog. No matter who was there, Fletcher would go over and try to make friends. That cat had more personality than most people I know.
Fletcher used to love playing with twist-ties. I'd find one, give it a couple of random twists and toss it down on the floor. He'd instantly pounce on it and bat it around the house with the spirit of a kitten. He'd get it chased into a corner and just crouch there, tail twitching, mewling a little until he couldn't stand it any longer and then he'd bat it back out into the kitchen and be at it again.
I found him a little while ago when I was taking my kid up to bed. He was laying on the living room floor as if he'd just stopped to take a break. It took me a moment to realize he was gone. I sat there with him for awhile. The whole time I kept expecting him to take a breath and spring up for some lovin'. He never did.
We're all going to miss him. My kid's too young to really know what's happened. So far he doesn't know. At 2-1/2yo he's not ready to deal with death. I figure it'll go a week and then the questions will come. I guess we'll tell him that Fletcher's gone away. But the truth is, he really has.
But I think I'm going to miss him the most. We've been buddies for a long time. Now I have the sad job of burying him. I'm going to bury him under our cherry tree. The first shovel of dirt is going to be the hardest. But every year when that cherry tree blooms, I'll think of Fletcher. And that will make it a little better.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
KristyCC
FirthofForth
DrCrotchenRotchze
DrAmyFarteur, MD
Mick Stevens
Motoring Homeless
Salon.com
Comments
Yes, he was an adorable cat. Always was from a kitten right on along.
Thank you, and everybody for the kind words. It was such a shock to walk in and find him gone. I wish I had had a chance to have really played with him today. The suddenness of it is partly what makes it difficult.
I still keep waiting for my Smokey to come bounding down the hall everytime I make a turkey sandwich and he passed away 2 years ago this July.
Damn death! ~kicks it again~
I do not know, but I suspect he just had a heart attack or something. He seemed healthy in all other respects. He had a hearty appetite, did everything he was supposed to in the litter box-- copiously, enjoyed playing with our 2-1/2yo on a regular basis, plus chased our other cat around at every chance. Also he performed his solemn rounds, making sure that every single one of our cushions and pillows were appropriately plump and ready for snoozing on, and of course let us know with little signature tufts of hair... :-) Had you asked me an hour earlier I'd have told you he was fit as a fiddle. There was no evidence of any trauma. It was like he just laid down for a moment and was gone.
Jazz is our senior citizen siamese and she is 14. She is half out of her mind sometimes but I get real sad when I think about the day she will leave us.
And then finally the other night he was in bed getting ready to go to sleep and he looks up and says "I'm really sad." Which took me completely by surprise. Didn't even know he knew the word. When I asked him why he said "I can't find my cat." And I finally told him that Fletcher wasn't with us anymore. And that he loved M.. very much and asked Mommy and Daddy to tell M.. that he loved him and would miss him. And we also told him that we were sad and would miss him (Fletcher) too.
I was amazed at his perception of the situation. He didn't ask another question or even say anything else for the longest while until he fell asleep. Despite our attempts to elicit responses from him. He seemed to 'get it' right off- no further clarification needed.
We ended up burying Fletcher by the creek at my mom & dad's instead of the cherry tree at our house. We all agreed that it seemed like the better spot, and Fletcher had spent a couple of years there too. And the whole time he'd had his nose against the windows looking out at the birds and wildlife near the creek-- hawks, owls, woodpeckers, deer, foxes, raccoons and the occasional possum.
M.. wasn't there when we buried him. We didn't think he was ready for that. But my wife hit upon the perfect way to explain the spot-- "the place we go to remember Fletcher." And that freed us too-- we don't have to talk about him in code anymore. We can all express our sadness openly and honestly-- which I think is good and wholesome. And we will miss Fletcher. He was definitely a member of our family.
Ugh. I hate death.