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Cats Rule, Dogs Drool

Canada Day, July 1, 2008

I posted this on the H/P Pet Loss Support Group's (http://www.members4.boardhost.com/PETLOSS/) online message board. Hard to believe I first met Smokey 26 years ago! Still remember that day and am so grateful that he came into my life. Love you always, Pokeroo!


You came to us on Canada Day, July 1, 1982.
It's unbelievable to me that 10 years has passed - June 29, 1998 - since I last touched your sweet face. The memories now are mostly the happy ones of your comic escapades like hollering for attention to have your face and head rubbed by your daddy, or getting me up in the middle of the night cuz you were "starving", or "playing bongos" on the closet doors, again so you could have something to eat or when my mom and I heard a strange noise in the middle of the night, only to find you had somehow gotten into the plastic bag of recyclable tins and were walking down the hall with the bag hanging around your neck, swinging and banging the tins together (no, he wasn't hurt!)!
To many you were just a fat, grey cat but to me, you were my son, my boy, and I loved you with all my heart, still do and always will.
After you first left, you haunted the halls of our house, your special spot under the window, underneath the “palm” tree, the in-between places. Never in actual places – never in rooms, never in the light. Only coming and going. Only in reflections on the windows. Only in dusks, twilights and dawn is your spirit present. The hole is there because I risked threading my life with someone, a special little someone. Your dad and I dared to love you and make you a part of us. Now you are gone and there is a part of us missing. That part will never be filled again BUT you did send another special little angel to us and for that we will always be grateful to you. You taught us about love and made it easy to open our hearts again to give another little furbaby love too.
There was comfort in knowing in the early hours of July 29, 1998 you did come to me, and not in a dream. All night I heard you walk up and down the hall, just like you used to, when you would come to bed or go to use your litter box or come to wake me up to feed you. I even spoke the words to you that I always did, to try and ease your restless spirit. "Is that mom's boy? Do you want to come up on the bed?" I guess I eventually fell asleep and in the morning I found a clump of your fur in the hall. Whether or not it was your intention, dear Smokey, I took your visit to mean that you were “okay” and that mom should go on with her life and that mom should open her heart to love another little furbaby. That very day Roxanne came into our lives and now, nearly 10 years later, she is fast asleep on her daddy's bed, just like you used to do.
Smokey, you changed my life forever and always and you will always be my forever kitty.
Hope there's lots of "treatses" at the Rainbow Bridge, my sweet boy.
Love you always,
Mom xxxxoooo

"To Where You Are" (by JG)

Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memory's so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak **
You're still an inspiration
Can it be
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are my
Forever love
Watching me from up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are


**Smokey did used to speak and would very clearly say "I want NOW!" when it was feeding time!

Time Flies!

It is now Sunday, May 24, 2008 and we are fast approaching a major anniversary of Smokey's departure to the Rainbow Bridge. I can hardly believe that he has been gone that long or that Roxy has been with us that long!
I am trying to figure out what to do to mark June 29, 2008 - I was thinking of inviting the people from the pet loss group over for a BBQ if I can convince hubby to go along with it. After all, it is because of Smokey that we all came together!
Will have to give this some more thought!

Canada Day, July 1, 1982

I am a teeny, really REALLY cute little grey kitty and funny thing is, the uprights who brought me home, think I am UGLY! Do these uprights need glasses ?????? I am a handsome little devil (and I DO mean DEVIL) but they just opened the door and let me out! I think I might only be about 8 weeks old - I'm not sure - and I THINK my name might be CURI (as in curiosity!) but oh well....there's a bug to chase....and some grass to eat....and.....there's one of those short little uprights! Wait! Two of them.....Looks like I might be getting a new home....

On this day, there was a knock at our door and two little kids from the neighbourhood were holding these "sweet" little kitten. They said they found him at the end of the driveway, all alone, right near a busy road. Well, mom and I hemmed and hawed because we already had two adult dogs - a husky/shepherd cross and a cross terrier. We weren't really too sure how well this new little one would be received but, within minutes, the "gray" kitten had let it be known he was the new reigning KING OF THE CASTLE and everyone else (especially the cross terrier named Sandy) were the dirty rascals!

First thing we definitely had to decide was what to call him. For some reason, I had always liked the named "Smokey" for a cat, even though this little one was my first venture into the land of the feline! So that was what we called him....not that he very often responded (unless treats were involved!).

Smokey right away decided he would be the boss of Sandy. He tormented this poor little girl - he would nip at her legs when she walked by him and she was such a sweet, timid little one, that she never retaliated.

As for the husky/shepherd whose name was Yankee, Smokey and he became best of buds right away! We have lots of pictures of the two of them curled up together on the couch or floor. They just really hit it off! Yankee was such a gentle soul, that its really not surprising. The arrival of Smokey was unexpected and I never knew how much it would change my life.

About a month or so after Smokey came to live with us, and after we had had him checked out by our vet, and neutered and (sadly) declawed (that seemed to be the normal then and now I would never, ever have a cat declawed), some people who lived further in the townhouse complex came to our door and said we had their cat! We told them we had found him as a stray and invited them in. They began calling "Curi" but dear old Smokey, whether he was their cat or not, was not going to go back to them at all. They still insisted he was their cat and so mom and I offered, sadly, to return him to them IF they would reimburse us for all the vet bills. They did not want to do that and so, Smokey or Curi, became our "sweet" kitty!