A farewell

[tedwords]

 

Our cat Hayley passed this afternoon. She lived a long life: 20 years.

We had been seeing signs for a while. She's lost a lot of weight the past few months and hasn't been eating as much. She's been having accidents in a lot of places and she's been having trouble walking. Monday it got so bad that Corb brought her to the vet. His assessment: acute kidney failure. He had nothing to offer except the suggestion that we might want to consider putting her down. 

Before she passed, we let her hang around in the yard for a half an hour. She always loved the outdoors. One time when we were moving furniture into the house she escaped. I only realized it when I was in the kitchen and saw something scurry across the lawn. 

When I found her, she was resting under a tree. She looked deliriously happy. 

She had been Corb's cat since he was 13. He's devastated.

We had so many stories about Hayley. We'd make them up as she would rest on our laps at night. 

Hayley was a time traveler. She traveled in a cardboard box through time and space.

Hayley lived in a woodshed as a baby. I always pictured her like that. Just curled up next to a woodpile in a country farmhouse, catching mice and staying warm.

She was a member, then president of the Purple Hat Society. She would take the old biddies out during the day while we were away at work.

She was also a member then president of the Feline Daughters of the American Revolution. Her great-great-great (times 100) grandmother was Ephanagia Washington, George Washington's cat. 

She will be missed so much. She was a good friend and I will miss her resting and purring by my side, every night. She always wanted so much attention as she got older. 

She's buried in our front yard. By that tree she escaped to, years ago. Next to a pile of wood. 

She was a good old girl and I will miss her very much.