The End of an Era

Fifteen years ago at work, I overheard a friend saying that someone had left a cat at her house, and then left the state. Because she already had two dogs and a cat at home, she'd have to take the new arrival to the pound. With sadness in her voice my friend commented that she doubted anyone would adopt the cat because it was already 8months old, and ugly to boot.

"I'll take the cat!"

Yep, if you know me at all you know I couldn't hear that and not pipe up (despite the fact that I knew next to nothing about cats and hadn't yet cleared the idea with Bob).

So, my friend and I made a plan. She would drop the cat - Mercedes - at the vet the next day to get spayed; I would pick her up and take her home. So with Bob's consent, I arrived mid-day at the vet's ... and was presented with a scrawny, meowing, patchy-looking "teenager", who indeed, was not the picture of cuteness.

I took her back to my office, where she promptly fell asleep in a cardboard box I'd lined with an old, soft towel, and the two of us passed the rest of the day in happy companionship.

What a great cat my little "ugly", abandoned Sadie turned out to be. She provided us with many more days of love and companionship and paved the way for all of our furry kids that followed.

In the early days especially I treated her a bit like a dog, encouraging her to curl up next to me on the couch and carrying her around the house. She responded by always wanting to be near us, and carrying on long conversations with anyone who looked her way. The vet would later comment that she thought Sadie was a mix of tortie and Siamese, and indeed, Sadie's ability and desire to vocalize was far beyond any other cat I've ever met.

She had some other weird little quirks - she loved to sniff plastic and would practically maul you for a bite of cookie, bread, or Taco Bell (but she never liked tuna). She loved chasing a flashlight beam played about the walls and floor. And while never mean to Lexi, Ava, Remy or Beamer, she was the undisputed queen of the pride at our house.

In mid-July she got very sick, and since then had been on a regime of three medications administered twice a day. But the past month had been a good one for her - she had regained some of her appetite and a little weight, and had started to sleep curled by my side every night (displacing a slightly annoyed Remy).

Last Friday night Sadie exhausted her nine lives. Her body was tired, and we both knew it was time for her to join Lexi and Ava in heaven. I cradled her gently as my favorite vet (Dr. Cornett at Airpark Animal Hospital) shed tears with me, then helped Sadie ease off to sleep. I know Sadie was ready to go, and it was peaceful and dignified at the end.

But the house is awfully quiet now, and boy, do I miss her. Thank you for everything my beautiful Sadie girl.


A young Sadie (and Bob)


Always curious ...


Owen loved her too