Fortunate

In the spring of 1996, after Elizabeth, one of my two beloved Burmese cats, died at a young age, I told myself I would just look.

The handsome orange tabby at the MSPCA-Angell Adoption Center in Boston peered up at me and put his nose through the bars of his cage. I asked the attendant whether I could try holding him, and she said yes. After the paperwork, the cat and I headed home.

For Edward, as I named him, this was a turn of fortune. He was a year old, and had had two prior owners. I do not know whether anyone else would have adopted him. I do know that I gave him the best possible care. He was an anxious cat, and what he needed, as a start, was love.

We moved to New York City and then to Redding, Connecticut. We missed the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center, blocks from where we had lived, by three weeks.

Eddie and Angel liked the large house. Over time, they became friends, and would nap together. Eddie, while always lovable, became calmer.

Eddie loved to look out the windows, watching birds and squirrels. At night, he would pretend I was chasing him, and would race up the stairs. I would follow him, and then he would climb down and repeat the game until he had had enough exercise.

Angel lived until the fall of 2007, reaching the age of eighteen. Eddie was upset when I came home without her. We both missed her.

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In 2009, we moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, so that I could help my mother, who lived on Cape Cod. In the summer of 2011, Eddie had a tumor. The surgeons at Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tufts saved his life. I wrote a letter expressing my deep gratitude.

One of the staff told me that Eddie had been a gentleman during his stay. This is how Eddie was – a friendly and good-natured cat.

I was relieved when, after several tests of the tissue the surgeons had removed, and against the odds, it turned out that Eddie did not have cancer. I treasured every day with Eddie after this, relieved he had longer to live.

My mother passed away last year. I adopted her Himalayan cat, Sapphire. After a few weeks, Sapphire and Eddie became acclimated, and seemed to appreciate each other as companions.

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People with pets know that every animal has characteristics that are endearing. Eddie would nestle his head in my hand or in my chest, as though seeking peace. When I took a nap on the couch, he would lie on my legs or my chest. When I was at the computer, he would lie on the desk, with his paws on the keyboard. When I came home, he would run to the door. He liked to perch on the “cat condo,” reigning over the living room.

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Eddie, Sapphire, and I returned to Connecticut in October. I had looked forward to Eddie being be able to again watch birds and squirrels, and for all of us to have more space. But Eddie was now eighteen and a half years old, and his health was failing fast.

The people at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital remembered Eddie well. They found that he had cancer, and had only a short time left. Cats mask their illnesses, and poor Eddie had masked his.

I gave him the treatment the veterinarian recommended to make him comfortable, and I waited in sorrow until the day when I knew he was ready. I held him for the last time on November 12, saying goodbye to my best friend.

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I will always be grateful for the kindness the people at Georgetown showed Eddie and me on his last day. I appreciate the great care they gave Angel and Eddie during our years in Redding, and then Eddie on our return to the area. I also appreciate the great care the people at Boston Cat Hospital gave Eddie and Sapphire during our Cambridge years.

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Sapphire and I miss Eddie. I seek solace in the fact that he had a long and good life, and that we could share our lives for seventeen and a half years.

Those of us who love animals love our pets as members of the family, and they love us too. Eddie loved me as much as I loved him.

I was fortunate to have Edward. And I will always miss him.

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One of Sapphire’s charms is that, when she purrs, the sound fills the room. She grieves, but today she resumed purring, content after a meal, lying by my desk as I write of Edward.

 

Tagged as: animal welfare, cats, pet adoption, pets, veterinarians