Gone, but Never Forgotten

Graphite, Bitsy, Maggie and Lady Madonna

My brofur Sammy and I are so thankful for all the kittehs who came before us.  They taught the mom and the dad all about how to love (and spoil!) cats really well.  In our house, Bitsy, Graphite, Lady Madonna and Maggie are loved forever, and remembered often with much joy and laughter. 

Bitsy was the mom's heart cat, and she was a great judge of people. She was one of the cats who came before us, so Sammy and I never knew her.  But we have been told that she was a beautiful tabby, and the sweetest, most unassuming cat ever.  Bitsy LOVED snuggling, and being brushed (she would even try to brush herself if you put the brush in her paws!).  She is also a “Matron Saint” of lost pets; on two occasions, lost pets have been found soon after the mom asked her for help. Bitsy ran off to the Bridge in March 2006, after a long battle with feline diabetes.

The dad adopted Graphite not long after he started volunteering at PAWS, and says that in many ways, Graphite chose him.  When the dad first met Graphite, he was a thin, shabby furred cat from a hoarding situation.  Once he came to live with Dad, though, he gained some weight and his blue-grey coat became shiny and full.  He slept on Dad's arm every night, and loved paper bags, cat milk, and wearing bandanas and cat neckties.  He was very sensitive to human emotions, and comforted those who were sad.  Dad's heart cat Graphite made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge in January 2008.

Lady Madonna was a sweet, motherly cat who lived in one of the "open" rooms at PAWS (where the mom and dad volunteer).  Lady cared for and cuddled with the smaller, younger kitties that lived in her room. Whenever Mom and Dad would visit, Lady would lay on top of them and purr up a storm.  They loved Lady Madonna SO much that they decided to adopt her.  Sadly, she was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor in her ear, and passed away in spring 2006 – before they were able to bring her home.  But we view her as one of the cats who came before, and her ashes are here with us forever. 

Maggie first came to live with us as a foster, when her elderly owner became ill, and no one in her family wanted to adopt a 13-year old cat.  Mom and Dad discovered that Maggie loved to play, and that she was a real snuggler with a great personality.  Well, it wasn’t long before the mom and dad fell in love and decided to adopt her.  Some of their best memories are of me (Moosey) and Maggie playing through the baby gate that separated “her room” from the hallway.  It took them months to figure out that I was jumping the gate regularly to visit Maggie. MOL!  Sadly, Maggie was only with us for about 1-½ years before she passed away from a very aggressive form of cancer in March 2011.  But we are so glad she had a happy home with us, and knew how much we all loved her.

Thank you, Gracie, for hosting this wonderful remembrance event.

Love and hugs,

Moosey