It all began on Halloween....we came home after trick or treating to find our "treat." This is not the first time this has happened at our current home and we have resigned ourselves to the fact that we must look like a nice "kitten-loving" family. We were not always a cat-friendly family as my beloved husband did not think he liked cats. We have a dog that is older than our son and he is ill but we have had two unsuccessful attempts at outdoor cats at this time.
Our new kitten who would later be named Paisley decided we were her family and despite attempts of ignoring her outside our door, she persisted. She loved us before we even knew her. After days (or maybe weeks) of my son begging to keep the kitty and my husband insisting her owners were coming for her; things all began to change one cold winter eveing. You see my husband is a night owl and he heard the coyotes in the field across from us howling and he feared our little homeless kitty would be eaten. I woke up the next morning to a lovely handwritten poster on the garage door stating he let the kitten int he garage to save her from the coyotes. My heart melted. He cared too.... he wanted to be tough, but he knew the kitty was in danger so he saved her. She lived for a couple of week in our son's wagon on a sleeping bag with short bursts of time inside the actual house once I bought a litter box for her. I showed my husband how easy cats were and showed her one time and she was then magically "housebroken." In a short time we began coming inside and then she landed the ultimate...the indoor litter box. This was a huge step for us.
Our kitten now had a name....Paisley. (Paisley Rhue when I was being lovey dovey.)
She began to warm our hearts daily. Our son loved her from the moment he saw her and he strived to be her "daddy." He did not want the role of brother...no he wanted her to know he took care of her. He offered to use his whole years allowance to take her to the vet if only we would keep her. He never grumbled about changing litter or feeding her. He carried her like a baby (except when he was dropping her) and he slept with her every day.
I loved her beyond measure. She was warm and cuddly and the sound of her purr would take all of my stress and melt it down the drain. She was perhaps the most perfect kitten I have ever known. I tried every day to get her to come to me and love me as much as I loved her. She did - a little, but her all time favorite person besides her little daddy was her big daddy.
Paisley took the heart of that husband of mine and made him fall in kitty love with her. She spent most of her waking hours following him around and nuzzling him and letting him see all of her kitty goodness. It worked. He LOVED her!
In an instant live can change. It did for us. You see Paisley was a playful little soul. She loved to throw bottle caps in the bathtub and down the hardwood stairs, just for fun. She loved chasing the light of the laser and she loved playing chess with her little daddy- really she moved pieces. Did I mention she was smart too? She loved coming in the kitchen window from the window box and she loved naps in the sunshine.
Last night she went outside because she loved the comforts of home, but she still loved playing like a kitten and chasing things. We began to call her because it was cold and windy outside and she did not come. We started really getting worried after a few minutes now hearing the bell around her neck when a neighbors car stopped in front of the house. I was excited when the light came on that she had found our beloved kitten and brought her home safe and sound. It was not the case....she came out of her car sobbing as she had hit her with her car. She could not have helped it, it was not her fault, we do not blame her. Our beloved Paisley had run across to the neighbors (probably chasing a leaf or something else wonderfully fascinating) and she darted back home when she heard us call her. This was to be her last moment. I am thankful she did not suffer. I am sadded for the many memories that are now only that- memories. We cannot have our beloved kitty back. She has gone to be with our wonderful God and I hope she is now cuddling with her Grandmother whom she just met.
This was perhaps one of the saddest moments of our life together as a family. Having to tell little daddy that his baby was gone was the most difficult thing I have ever done as he sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed like forever...then watching my husband carry her lifeless body in to us while we gathered some of her treasures to be buried with her. I will never forget the tears on his face as he carried her in his arms. He was so loving, so kind, so gentle with her. He went out in the cold of the night and worked tirelessly preparing her a proper place. We had a quiet time of prayer with her thanking God that he had chosen us to have this special time with this special girl that brought us closer as a family.
May we take each and every day with all that we love and cherish them all the days of our lives!
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