Prissy
My little girl is going down pretty fast. It seems like she’s aged 10 years since November.
I moved a large, shallow box that Prissy’s fallen in love with right beside her food and water dish. I’ve lined it with a soft baby blanket. She, literally, hasn’t left the area for over a week. No more scratching on the wall in our bedroom each morning to let us know it’s time for breakfast, no more wandering into the office to see what we’re up to, no more curling up beside Stephany in the evening for tv and snacks. Frankly, our work, breakfast, and even Steph on the couch just don’t matter to her anymore.
Needless to say, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through in my life. I’ve had (and loved) Prissy longer than any animal I’ve ever had – last September it was 19 years. I can’t remember NOT having this beautiful, pampered, graceful, and incredibly sweet-tempered cat.
I’ve been trying to look at the entire situation from a perspective that doesn’t make me want to lie down and cry for 3 hours straight. Yes, she’s actually dying more than she’s living right now – but what a life she’s led! She’s lived in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Florida, and then back home to Kentucky. Kentucky’s her favorite – she loves the climate and she says that Kentucky boy cats appeal to her more. She’s always been a flirt.
She has helped to raise three beautiful girls. She has played barbies, been a “baby” in a stroller many times, celebrated many rowdy Christmases – right under the tree! She’s swatted countless ribbons and helped shred more paper than any secretary. She has supervised Scrabble games (from the opened box), helped work puzzles (often from sitting right ON the puzzle), and helped with many, many, many school assignments.
She has watched my husband fix and repair everything from kitchen faucets to bathroom light fixtures. Her reward for her assistance was the periodical rub on the head, the scratch under the chin, and the reminder of what a “good girl” she is. According to her, he gives the best chin scratches around.
And, the number of meal preperations she’s over seen! She’s been a constant kitchen companion for me since she was so tiny I had to watch out for her. One of her favorite pastimes used to be when I’d sort through my recipes. She’d lie across half of them while we decided what exactly would be made that week and what we’d need from the store.
She has seen every episode of Little House on the Prairie, I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith – as well as every cartoon ever made. She has been there for every major sporting event over the past 19 years as well. She’s seen her St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series and her UK Wildcats win more than one championship. She was stoked for weeks.
I’m thankful that she isn’t in pain and doesn’t appear to be uncomfortable. In fact, she purrs as much as ever and loves baby talk more than she ever did. Her breathing isn’t laboured and she still eats and drinks. She just sleeps in her box – getting out only twice a day to have a little bit to eat and a drink.
Needless to say, if it weren’t for the purrs and if we detected any pain or difficulty breathing -we’d take her to the vet and end her suffering immediately. That’s why I’m so thankful that, while her fading away is extremely hard on me, she just seems to be enjoying the extra rest.
For all the extra fun, love, and enjoyment she’s given us – she’s earned it.
***The picture at the top of the post is one that one that my daughters took back in January. Prissy was actually playing a little bit and they wanted to capture the moment. She had more people around her giggling and awwww-ing than most pre-school kids do!
