The Last Goodbye

Not that I've been keeping up with too many regular blog posts in the last 12 months, and this one doesn't relate to sewing.  But this is not off topic from my blog as it relates to my love of cats. So I'd like to pay special tribute to a much loved family member who left this world last Tuesday.  My family have a long history with cats and have been very lucky to have them in our lives for so many years. Wynton, who was 181/2 was not exception. He was a lovely, sweet natured cat who was just full to bursting with love for all of us.   

I can't believe it was 18 years in February since my mum and I took a drive to see a breeder who had 1 male Burmese kitten left from a litter.  When we arrived we met 2 kittens, one a fiery little girl who was tearing around the living room and a very laid back little boy who wasn't doing very much.  Now, mum will freely admit that she wasn't super keen on him when they first met.  Our previous boy had been a crazy ball of energy with loads of personality.  This new kitty had big shoes to fill. After some quality time together, it was decided that he should come home with us.  He brought such joy into our lives.  Our house was a home again.  We were all smitten with this little brown kitten.  

I stayed living at my parents for another 12 months. Wynt and I developed a really strong bond that remained throughout his life.  There was a point when I was still living there where I was having a bit of a stress in my life due to a theatre production I was working on. I'd come home from rehearsals feeling a little despondent and anxious and there he'd be greeting me at the door. I'd pick him up and he'd be like a big soft valium pill.  He just made you feel relaxed and happy.  And every time I visited my parents, no matter where he was, even sleeping, he'd hear my car pull up and was nearly always at the front door to meet me or on his way down the hallway. 

 

He wasn't the most crazy adventurous cat, but he still managed to get himself into a few scrapes along the way.  Like a number of cat fights. One in which shredded his ear into 3 sections. Mum said he casually wandered into the bathroom that morning and there was his ear hanging in pieces.  After quite a few stitches it just left him with a slightly pointy ear.  He also liked to get up on the roof of my parents' 2 storey house and look out at the world and the dog next door. Pretty sure he fell off a few times, that would explain the limp he regularly had.  We have so many stories, so many great memories as a family. 

Like all cats in their senior years, Wynton slowed down a bit and started to shrink in size.  He was always such a nice big muscly cat so it was so strange when he started to become a little bony old man.  Sadly, last September, he suddenly lost sight in both of his eyes.  It came at the same time I was due to be recuperating at my parents after a fairly serious operation.  But the family adapted to this new situation, and eventually Wynton did too. I was so glad to have those quality weeks staying at my old home and being able to cuddle with my favourite cat. 

 



My parents had put their lives on hold as they took care of their much loved cat, but we all knew the day wasn't too far away when we would all have to say farewell.  And now we say the last goodbye.  He will be missed for many years to come and hopefully one day our broken hearts will mend.

Farewell beautiful boy. 

xxxx