Jasmine

The week has been brutal. I guess the little empty kitty bed says it all.  We had to say good bye to sweet Jasmine Tuesday. She had gotten sick Sunday and it was apparent that she was probably bleeding internally, so we made the decision that night that it was time.

Jasmine turned 15 in the spring--a long time to have a pet companion. She was the quintessential kitty with a sweet little girl face. Not very big, she was a fatty with a waddle of fat that hung from
her belly. Dainty and picky, she never ventured too far from the door. After we moved to the Garden Spot, she stayed even closer to the house. Her favorite outside activity was rolling in the dirt. In side her favorite pass time was eating although as she aged she was no longer able to jump on the dryer where I keep the cats' food to keep the dog out of it. As a result, her little fat waddle began to shrink. Then she got horribly thin. She suffered from thyroid disease and didn't respond well to the medication the vet gave her last spring.

Jasmine decided years ago that her favorite spot to sleep was at the end of the sofa (or on my lap in the evenings), which was fine until we bought a new sofa. I found a little kitty bed and placed it in her sleeping spot. Of course she refused to sleep in it. You know cats. They have a mind of their own and tend to teach us how to run our home. Grandma came to supper every night and took it upon herself to teach Jasmine to use her little bed. She gently placed her in the little bed at the end of the sofa and kindly explained to her that she must sleep in the bed--and she did, until this summer. As her health began to fail, she began to nap in dark corners of the house, keeping to herself except when she wanted food.

Good bye, Sweet Jasmine

She came out a night to play when the house was quiet and dark when the bully cat Mo was safely locked in the garage for the night and when the dog slept soundly next to our bed. I'd find bits of chewed paper laying about. I didn't dare leave students' papers within her reach. I hated that excuse "the dog ate my homework" and I certainly didn't want to have to apologize to my students: "My cat ate your homework." When I sewed, she find scraps of ribbon, string, cloth to drag about the house during the peaceful safety of the dark.

Now the house is a little quieter. There is one less to look after. Tuesday we had to let sweet Jasmine go. The vet comforted us that her pain had ended, which helped a little. We still have the 3 boys to keep us company (the cats Country also 15 and Mo 5 and Max 14). They all became family members about the same time, so now we love them and enjoy them even more as we all grow old together, all suffering from the same aches and pains of aging.

The granddaughters will be here tomorrow. I have developed a little scavenger hunt for the girls -- a nature search for leaves, and grass, and seeds and such. Should be fun. Hope you have good plans for the week end. Give your pet kids an extra treat.