A Final Farewell

For anyone who has ever loved a pet, you know it's a love unlike any other relationship you have. It's unconditional, it's uncomplicated and it's totally pure.  My sweet girl, Indy, has had my heart from the moment I first laid eyes on her. She was teeny and dirty and it was pretty clear someone had dumped her or kicked her out.  I found her outside of a bar/restaurant called Pockets.  My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I headed there after the fireworks on the 4th of July in 1998.  We were on his Enduro motorcycle and as soon as he cut the engine to park, I heard this awful crying.  My ears perked up and I headed in the direction of what sounded like a kitty in trouble.  No one was going to distract me, not even my boyfriend who was doing his best to get my attention. You see, my birthday was on June 5th and when I blew out my candles that year, I made a wish that I would have (or perhaps find) a kitty within 30 days. One day shy of that, my sweet orange tabby entered my life. We named her Indy, short for Independence since we found her on the 4th of July.  It was a bit of time before she fully became mine (and I became hers) as I had to take her to the humane society the next day and then convince Kevin we should adopt her.  However, I knew we were meant for each other from the very beginning.

This sweet girl was the best kitty I could have ever hoped for. She would wrap the pads of her paws around one of my fingers to hold hands, lift her paws to be picked up, kiss down my nose in the morning and pull my face towards her if I wasn't getting up quickly enough or sleeping in too long. She talked to me all the time and I think, on occasion, I forgot she wasn't really speaking English, even though I'm sure she completely understood me and I completely understood her.  She head butted me whenever I fed her with me leaning down by the counter top and her coming up to meet me.

Over the past couple of weeks, as much as I didn't want to see it, she began a pretty steep decline in her health.  She'd had kidney disease for awhile and arthritis as well. She all but stopped eating and dropped so much weight.  I knew in my heart the end was near.  However, I didn't realize it was going to be as soon as it was.  I could have kept her going longer on fluids and meds but that wasn't going to  change the other 2 conditions she had working against her and prolonging her life would have been for me, not her. I was hoping we had another week but it wasn't to be.  She was no longer herself and was clearly uncomfortable, wanting to eat but not able to, wanting to sleep but not able to do that either.  I had to admit, it was time.

Fifteen and a half years later, from that very first day, here we are.  It's truly one of my saddest days ever with one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.  But, it was one made out of love...one intended to stop her from any more pain or discomfort.  A friend of mine, Tonya Whitlock, gave me a wonderful gift by honoring my request for her to come over and take some photos of me and my furry baby, as well as with the kids on her last day with us.  I will cherish these forever and Indy will forever be in my heart.

Until we meet again my sweet, sweet girl....