Stitches

We had to say goodbye to our sweet girl on September 21st. We'd kept delaying the inevitable, hoping to not have to face having it done, until we were back in town from our long summer at the lake, but it became obvious she wasn't feeling great.

Stitches came to us 19 years ago, in the parking lot at Walmart, of all places. We were just going to shop - nothing very important to buy - and there she was, just a kitten (we guessed about 6 weeks old, which means we probably found her around mid-September), running among the cars in the parking lot. When we tried to catch her, she ran to the undercarriage of a truck and hopped up underneath, which was probably how she got to Walmart in the first place. I insisted that poor Iain crawl under the truck and lift her out of her hiding spot, and that we take her home immediately: I was not letting her ride back to whatever farm she came from in such a precarious way.

In the kitchen, looking for a snack.

She didn't take long to settle in. I don't have the picture handy, but somewhere in a photo album there is a shot of her and Foxy together on a chair: Stitches is stretched out and lying across Foxy like he was her pillow. He was the only cat she really bonded with, and after he died in 2005 she liked her own company best.

Jezebel, Snaps, and Stiches - all happily napping.

Her favourite spot was in front of the fireplace. She'd sit and watch the flames, and then curl up to sleep when she got bored. Not a very active cat - although she did climb the Christmas tree one year - the game she played most of the time was "chase my own shadow".

Much of the time she would sit on my shoulder and give me cheek rubs, and then settle down to sleep behind me on the couch.

Happily balancing on my shoulder.

At the cottage she spent most of her days hiding under a blanket - not terribly sociable, she wasn't the sort to come out and see other people when they visited.  The outdoors never appealed to her very much, either, and we were shocked when this last summer of her life she willingly went outdoors to smell the flowers and nibble grasses and wild oregano.

Most people saw Stiches like this.

About two years ago she was diagnosed with beginning kidney failure. We put her on a special diet, which she enjoyed, and it certainly extended her life.

The portions were not always as large as hoped...

She was certainly a beautiful cat with the most gorgeous green eyes. As she wasted slowly from the kidney disease, she remained lovely, but increasingly thinner, despite eating whenever she liked (6 or more times a day). For a tiny cat, she took up a lot of room; she was happiest on the couch, and always woke up looking for a bite if I sat down with chips or a sweet roll. It seems strange now to open a bag of chips and not have her at my side looking for her share.

Despite still having two very large and active cats, the house is quiet and empty. We miss you, sweet girl.