From the Bridge...

Well...I've been at the Bridge since June 23rd...Mom thinks it seems a lot longer. She still misses me a lot...and I miss her and Dad, too. But what I miss most of all is my Sweet Gracie's visits, and mine to her! But today Mookie, a good friend, sent both of us a lemonade rosette, so we can sit and sip our lemonades and think of each other! I'm doing fine up here, and have a lot of new friends...but there will never be another Sweet Gracie! Someone told me there is a magic castle here where earth kitties can come to visit for a day. I'm trying to learn more about it! But I didn't want any of my earth fur-sisters or brothers to worry about me...I'm okay, and feel better than I have in a long time...you probably wouldn't recognize me back at my "old" weight!
Sending angel dust and sparkles to all my earth-bound family and friends....

In Memory of Me...

Mom wrote a poem for me, so I thought I'd share it here:

Fancy Pants, you sweet little boy…
Having you with us so long was such a joy.
Seventeen years you managed to stay
But then, this past month, you had to go away.

You struggled so hard those last few days
Giving us time to say good-bye,
I told you we loved you in so many ways,
But you just got too tired to try.

Off to the Rainbow Bridge you went,
You picked your own time and place;
We came home and found you just curled up asleep,
And we hugged you with tears on our face.

So now you’re there with your other fur pals,
Re-connecting with all…both guys and gals…
Squirty, Miss Gussie, Bear Dog & Mr. Penny,
And all of your new friends of which there are many.

I miss you beside me in my recliner chair,
On the bed ‘twixt our pillows, you were always there;
Right here on the floor beside me you’d wait
Every night telling me I was staying up too late.

We love you…we miss you, our dear little friend,
We took loving care of you up ‘til the end.
We know that you’ll miss us, and we miss you, too,
But some day we’ll meet you “beyond the bright blue.”

Rest in peace, sweet Fancy Pants!

(Went to the Rainbow Bridge on Saturday, June 23, 2007 at age 17.)

I've gone to the Bridge....

The past couple of weeks, I just haven't been myself. Mom & Dad had taken me to the vet and I was treated for a URI. The meds got my nose & eyes cleared up, and they thought I was okay. But then I started just being listless and wouldn't eat. The vet said my mouth looked okay, my thyroid seemed okay, I looked pretty good for my age (17+). Mom kept offering me all sorts of food...but I didn't want any of it. So she started mixing up a "cocktail" (she called it) for me and squirted it in my mouth. It was chicken broth, baby food & Nutri-Cal. I didn't mind it very much, and didn't have any problem swallowing it right down. But I kept having a sort of runny nose and just seemed to be feeling weaker and more tired all the time. Mom didn't want to have the vet pumping me full of fluids & doing all kinds of tests on me, because she knew they would say I was too old and frail for treatment, even if they figured out what my problem was. So she just let me hang out and do whatever I felt like. I was still doing all my normal things...like sitting with her in the recliner...sleeping between Mom & Dad's pillows at night...getting on the sofa & curling up in my favorite spot...purring... But then last night, I was hiding out in strange places that I never had hidden out before. But Mom always found me and brought me out. I just mostly wanted to be somewhere by myself and go to sleep. This morning, she and Dad were going out of town for the day on a trip they had planned for weeks to celebrate her birthday. She fed me my "breakfast" (even though I resisted a little bit). Then she hugged me and told me how much she and Dad loved me and just wanted to make me feel better. She put me back in my latest hideaway where she found me, and closed the door so I wouldn't be disturbed by the other cats while they were gone. She worried about me the whole time they were away. As soon as they came home, she hurried right to the room and called my name. She thought I was just curled up asleep where she had left me...but then she realized that I had actually gone to sleep and wakened at the Bridge. Bear Dog and Mr. Penny & Squirty & Gussie were all waiting for me, and brought me back across this big, beautiful Bridge. They are taking good care of me now, and we all want Mom & Dad to know that I am my old self again...fat and healthy...fluffy and handsome...and I can run and play again like I used to. Those last few days were really miserable, even though I wasn't in pain...I just felt like doing nothing but sleeping. I tried to act like everything was okay for Mom & Dad. I want them to know that they did what I was hoping they would do...just let me "do it my way." I know it's sad for them and they miss me...but I'll help my fur-family here keep watch on them now...and I'll be here waiting for them some day...

My Sweet Gracie!

The other day Mom came in with a package from the mail and said it was for ME!!! She helped me open it, and inside were all these great photos of my sweetie...AND this beautiful heart-shaped pillow that says "I Love You" on it!!! Needless to say, I was so excited I could hardly stand it! Mom took my picture with it, and Teddy tried to come up and possibly attack it....but I made sure that didn't happen! It's MINE!! From MY sweetheart! And I do love her dearly...she makes me feel so young!

I've got a Fur-Mate of my very own!

I would have never believed I'd be saying this...I found the sweetest, prettiest Fur-Mate today! Her name is Sweet Gracie! My brother, Rusty, and my sisters, Jacqueline, Piglet & Dolly, have all been driving me crazy with this "Fur-Mate Stuff"!! Today, I started thinking maybe I should check into it. I posted a couple of messages with no response. Then my Sweet Gracie's sister noticed my message and sent me one! She thought her sister would be interested in me...at my age!!! Sure enough she was! We have so much in common, and we're both so happy! I already feel 7 years younger, at least!
I guess the moral of this story is....
Never, never, never give up!!!
Having more fun than I would have ever thought I'd have at my age!