fearlesstemp: (molly)
fearlesstemp ([personal profile] fearlesstemp) wrote2004-08-11 12:38 am
Entry tags:

to the great bit litter box in the sky



My little cat died. I am so sad.

Our family had two cats, and while everyone loved everyone, Molly was officially mine. I got her when she was eleven, this tiny little black and white standoffish furball that grew up into a slightly larger black and white furball that always seemed vaguely annoyed to have to deal with our existence. My kitty.

She'd been sick for a while, which was documented on and off in this very journal, and then in the last two days she started swelling up and having a hard time finding a comfortable way to settle herself. When the vet saw her, she said it was probably a tumor, and it was time to end her suffering.

I'd been staying at my aunt's and hadn't seen her in a while, so I had to race home on my lunch break to see little Molly before they took her to the vet. She was swollen and her paws were discolored and she'd stopped cleaning her fur. She looked awful. But she walked right over to me when I called her, and sat down in front of me and let me pet her. She almost never did that. And I sat there in the hallway crying and crying and scratching her under her chin, thinking, she doesn't even know she won't be around tonight. But cats never know. They don't know they're going to die at all. They're not really sentient creatures. It's silly to be so emotionally invested, to love a little critter that much. But that's how it goes.

Anyway. She was a good cat. She used to sit with me when I was sick, and liked to sleep on her back with her feet straight up in the air, and she never clawed the furniture. Until she got sick and started jumping on the counters to get to food, she never misbehaved at all. She caught mice and moles and bunnies and was too smart to wander around the attic when we put her up there to catch what we thought were mice but later realized were bees. She was surly and standoffish most of the time but also adorable. She was Bucky to Scout's Satchel, for those of you who read Get Fuzzy.

My brother had to take her in. I felt bad he had to do it, and had to do it alone, but even though I offered to blow off the rest of the day and go with him, he insisted he was fine. I spent most of my lunch hour sitting up there in the hallway bawling, so I went back to work looking half-dead, all pale and blotchy and bloodshot. Then I had to go to my aunt's to close up the house and walk the dog one last time, since they weren't getting home until after ten.

I'm home again now, done housesitting. Molly is gone. When I went upstairs to change into my pajamas, I found a pile on my pillow: peanut butter cups, Oreos, and a 12-pack of Diet Coke. From my brother, who had been sitting in his bedroom when I was crying in the hallway. I thought I was being so quiet with the crying and brave when I talked to him later the kitchen, but I'm not a good actress at all. Between this and rescuing me after my car was towed on Friday, my brother is earning serious bonus points.

The icon is from the one picture I have of Molly on my computer. She is, characteristically, eating. Today I gave her a bowl of milk and a can of tuna fish and she ate all of it. Deathly ill, and still hoovering food down. Clearly she was my cat.

[identity profile] krabapple.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww. I'm so sorry. Molly! I love my boys so much, I don't even want to think about the fact that one day Chester isn't going to be there to meet me at the door, after all.

Anyway. I'm so sorry about Molly, but I'm sure that it's better for her not to suffer. :( Also, your brother? I actually teared up when I read about his presents. Good brother.

*hugs*

Here's a little Bucky for you . . .

[identity profile] nonchop.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm so sorry for your loss.
suzy_queue: Animated rain over a rainbow (dark flower (sinsense))

[personal profile] suzy_queue 2004-08-10 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. {{HUGS}}

[identity profile] kaelie.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
(sniffles) Little Molly. I'm so sorry, Jess.

And LJAGU? He's golden, man. Golden.

[identity profile] tsamm.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I'm so, so sorry. It sounds like you loved her a lot. Your brother is fantastic.

Aaaaaaaw.

[identity profile] pink-aster.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
I had a cat named Charlie, that I got when I was 10, and we called him Uncle Chuck, because he was totally like an uncle to all our other cats. So cute. He just died last year. My mom still gets all choked up when she remembers him.

That was totally sweet of your brother.

[identity profile] jae-w.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm so sorry, Jess.

[identity profile] catalinay.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
*hugs* Sorry to hear about your loss.

i <3 kitty cats

[identity profile] itsmesarahmarie.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
*sniff* that's sad :o(

[identity profile] nobodygirl.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Jess. I'm so sorry, what a horrible day for you. Poor Molly, but it was the right thing to do.

The little pile on your pillow made me burst into tears. You're so incredibly lucky to have such a sweet little brother.

[identity profile] reallybadpoetry.livejournal.com 2004-08-10 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
My most sincere condolences on your loss.
I hope she passed away knowing that she was loved.

[identity profile] lemniskate.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry about your kitty -- but I'm glad that you had her so long to love her that much ;) And I'll join in the chorus of praising your little brother. what a sweet thing to do.

[identity profile] silveryscrape.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 04:28 am (UTC)(link)

Awww. I'm sorry.

[identity profile] gpsysngbrd.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
Awww Jess, I'm so sorry. We had a cat for 21 years and then her kidneys kind of gave out. Of course we went to the animal shelter to donate Toodie's food since we weren't going to need it...and made the mistake of going into the cat room. We came home with Bonnie.

[identity profile] callmesandy.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
I'm so sorry. poor kitty and poor you. :(
ext_10489: Jack-o-lanterns (Darren Waterston #2)

[identity profile] jeviltwin.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, dear. I'm very sorry about Molly. Pets are always, hopefully, so much more than furry objects who occasionally draw blood; pets are another heartbeat in the house. Much peace to you. {{{you & your brother}}}

[identity profile] evilprettykitty.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry Jess. It's so so so hard. It's almost a year since we had to do the same for our Kitty, but I still miss him. *bighugs* for you and *hugs* for your brother for being pretty awesome too.

{{{hugs}}}

[identity profile] popgurlie.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
i'm so, so sorry sweetie

[identity profile] lawgeekgurl.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
I'm so sorry about your kitty. I lost my dog to cancer a year and a half ago. It's still hard. But it gets better. Recently, after my mom's house was broken into, she found a roll of film the burglars had apparently ejected from the camera while they were stealing it. So, she had it developed, although she had no idea how old it was or what was on it. Turns out it was film from Christmas about four years ago. There were two pictures of Obie, my dog, which my mother sent me in the mail, thinking I'd like to have them. I thought they'd make me cry, but instead I had to laugh at them. He is being typically gooberish and it just made me happy to have them. I put them up on my refrigerator.

((hug)) to get you through the hard part until you get to the happy memories part.

[identity profile] remainthesame.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
I am so so sorry. ((hugs))

[identity profile] dacey.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, Jess, I am so. so. sorry. *hugs tight*

I didn't know your Molly, but having just lost my Murphy two weeks ago, I know exactly the sense of loss you feel and my heart goes out to you.

I wish there was something I could do to help. All I can offer is my sincerest sympathy and a long distance shoulder if you need one.

[identity profile] marej.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
((((hugs you)))

[identity profile] dick-grayson.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, honey. I'm so sorry, but your eulogy was just perfect. And your brother is a sweetheart, so you've got that going for you.

[identity profile] emluv.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 09:30 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, sweetie! I'm so sorry about Molly. She sounded like a wonderful kitty and I know you're going to miss her. {{{hugs}}}

[identity profile] sinensiss.livejournal.com 2004-08-11 09:34 am (UTC)(link)
I'm so sorry, Jess. Hugs to you, and to your brother for being so sweet.

It makes perfect sense to me that we can love animals so, but it's always hard when they get old or sick; they do become our little hostages to the passage of time. Worth it, though. Always worth it.

[identity profile] moonwhip.livejournal.com 2004-08-19 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh Jess. I missed this post in all the moving craziness earlier this week. I'm so sorry about Molly, but I'm sure she knew how much you loved her.

*hugs*