patinagle16 | Mishka is gone (Reply)

It's been two and a quarter years since I posted this about Mishka, our elder cat, when he started having seizures. Three days ago he stopped eating, and yesterday we finally had him put to rest.

He was an amazingly tough and tenacious cat. He came to live with us after stealing my sweetie's heart by nudging his head against his hand through the bars of the cage at the pound. He did indeed prove me wrong and got in not just one but two more winters.

There are lots of good things to remember. We had a futon chair where he liked to perch - on the back, like he's doing on this deck chair. If you sat there he'd give you a complimentary scalp grooming.

When we adopted a five-week-old Nambé, Mishka hissed at him at first, then after about a day something clicked in his head and he became Nambé's foster-father, grooming him and showing him the ropes. They were good buddies (though Mishka was alpha to the end, stealing Nambé's food whenever he could). When they were both younger they would play together, but it's been a few years since either had the energy.

Caring for an elderly cat is demanding. We're already noticing the freedom of not having to be careful about making sharp sounds, not having to watch him constantly, not having to clean up messes. Regardless, we'll miss him. He was a loyal friend and companion for over two decades.

I spent yesterday saying goodbye, holding him a lot. He was too weak to do much of anything but lie still and purr. I found myself wondering if Nambé would be there to greet him, as it's believed humans do. I like to think they're romping together again, in a meadow full of butterflies. Regardless, he's free of pain and trouble now.

Farewell, Mishka. You were a grand old cat.