Today has been one of the hardest days of my life.
We have been struggling with incontinence issues for some time now Several years ago, we had Stripey treated, and changed her food to help eliminate incontinence. It cured the problem...at least for then. In August, I took Stripey to the Vet (a word Katy now knows how to spell) for an exam/blood panel. The doctor called much relieved, the next morning. He had been very worried about what he would have to tell us when he called us back. Stripey was given a clean bill of health for her age...in cat years, she was almost 81. (That's the age of some of my grandparents.) She seemed to do well after that visit except for a few misc. times...that is until Tuesday. Things changed. She passed away yesterday.
Stripey could truly be considered my best friend. She's been a part of my life since March of 1991. I got Stripey (and her sister Tiger who passed away in September 1993) because I was sick of hearing my mom scream every time the trap snapped. We lived out in the country and the mice were very fond of our house. I convinced my parents to allow me to get a cat. We ended up getting Stripey from some good friends in Columbia City. We also got her sister Tiger from them because Stripey was so lonely by herself. Stripey was never the consoling, snuggling type of cat...that is until after her sister died. All that changed. Stripey slept with me every night until after Katy was born and we realized that we couldn't have Stripey and Katy sleeping in the same room. Katy's eyes would puff up and she would have issues, so we super cleaned our room and she hasn't slept in our bed again. There were nights she would sleep on the floor by my side of the bed...just so I would scratch her ears when I rolled over!
Stripey was a very obedient cat. She didn't get on the furniture (even when coaxed unless to sit on my lap), she didn't climb curtains, she didn't scratch hardwood floors (except to alert us to the fact that she needed her claws trimmed), she only climbed in the tub when she was extremely thirsty and couldn't find water anywhere else. She didn't drink out of the toilet (did you hear me gag as I thought about that one!). She loved to sit by the back door and watch the birds play in our yard. She was the queen of the house, yet she was also the protector of the house.
I've never heard of another cat that was so protective of "her children". Stripey hated kids...anyone loud and under the age of 12 was considered a kid. I remember while living at my parent's house in Big Flats, that she would run and hide if she heard kids coming up the stairs. She wouldn't come out until she knew it was safe. If on the other hand, a room was full of adults who would give her attention (like one of our former home groups in Big Flats), she'd be flopped right in the middle of the group! Anyway, back to the kid thing. When we had Lilly, we were very concerned about what Stripey would do. We'd heard stories of cats climbing in the crib and suffocating babies. I didn't want that. We treated her like some people do a dog. We took a baby blanket home to Stripey to smell before we brought Lilly home. We never had any problem. Stripey was her protector from the start. If Lilly (or Katy) would start crying, (and not stop right away) Stripey would come to check on her. I remember one night in our apartment on Hibbard Road that Lilly was just crying and we were trying to get her settled. Stripey had been upstairs sleeping on our bed, jumped down, came downstairs, and gave us "the look" as if to say, "Are you people going to do anything about her or what?" We assured Stripey that we were, and Lilly calmed down. Stripey wandered around the living room to the kitchen, and then headed back thru the living room and upstairs as if to say, "Ok, I guess you guys can handle this. I'm going back to bed." She headed back up to sleep on our bed. Stripey was also good at knocking on the bathroom door to let me know Lilly was awake. If I got up to go take a shower in the morning and Lilly woke up crying (she didn't wake up any other way), Stripey would come knock on the bathroom door until I said that I heard her and I was coming. If I didn't move quickly enough, Stripey would knock again. She always stayed right there outside the bathroom door waiting for me to come out, making sure I was going to take care of Lilly.
There were times when Stripey put herself in situations that she was at risk of getting trampled; just to make sure the girls were ok. One particular time was when Lilly had a birthday party with all the girls from her class. As I stated before, Stripey really didn't like kids, but she would come walk thru the playroom and living room just to make sure that the girls were ok. Once she saw they were, and saw that their friends were safe, she'd head back to a safe place to sleep.
Stripey was pretty fond of Katy. Lilly always got upset because Stripey "Liked Katy more." The reality is (as Phil put it) what animal wouldn't love Katy...it's just her personality. Stripey would fall over on the floor near Katy just to have her belly rubbed or allow Katy to hug her, but would squeak her disgust when Lilly would try to do the same. You know, it was just the 3 of us (Katy, Stripey, and I) here most days while Lilly was in school. Our lives revolved around each other. There were just those things you did that Stripey was involved in whether you really thought about it or not.
My heart breaks every time I think about losing Stripey. She has been mine for 16.5 years. She's been through so much with me and even endured multiple moves to and from Indiana. Life without Stripey is harder than words can express. We miss her greatly.
I'm thankful for her, for her love, her loyalty, her care for the girls, her silly antics of chasing balls around the house in the middle of the night, her good morning meows, her scratch my ears foot touches, her attack poses while watching birds, even her snores! (Yes, she did snore lately and it was getting louder too!) I'm thankful for all the years she was mine. Now that she is gone, I regret not loving her even more, not telling her all the time how much I loved her and how special she was. I regret making the decision I had to make. Man, it hurts.
Stripey, thank you for being my friend, for snuggling with me, listening to me, and most of all loving my girls (and Phil too). You are missed more than words can say. As Lilly keeps praying, "Lord, help us see her in Heaven."
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