desdemona
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- Joined
- Apr 2, 2001
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Today, my 15 year old Siamese succumbed to cancer. She went with quiet dignity, no complaints. She was the first cat to own me (those of you with cats will understand what I mean). She leaves behind a huge void, and I felt I would try to ease my sadness by reminiscing and sharing some of my memories with others who've been in the same place. So maybe it's not a true "ode", but more a collection of random thoughts. Please excuse my indulgence.
I got Chelsea right after my freshman year in vet school. The woman who owned her worked in the business office at Purdue and she had recently married. They weren't allowed cats at the new apartment, so she had taken her two cats to her parents' farm. Chelsea protested - she did not want to be an outdoor/barn cat. She proceeded to pull out her fur. So the woman decided to find a new home for her. I had just rented a house near the vet school - one that allowed pets. Ever since I can remember I had always wanted a cat, but I was never able to have one. You see, my mother was afraid of them. She was a dog lover, so we never lacked for canine companions. But she drew the line at cats and kittens. I can remember going over to my friends' houses and spending time playing with their cats. But this was to be my first very own feline.
Chelsea made herself at home right away. She promptly proved to be a percher - resting on my shoulders, jumping into my lap. She really liked being a solo act so to speak. A month later, I added the woman's other cat Casey, whom Chelsea had grown up with, to the mix. While she wasn't happy at first, she eventually welcomed his company.
The thing I dreaded most about my new acquisition was calling my mom. I tried to break it to her gently...telling her she had a new grandchild. The humor was lost...there was this long silence, and then she said, "You really don't want me to come visit you ever do you?" Mom eventually grew to tolerate her new grandkids. Even when Chelsea would jump on her back as she bent over to remove clothes from the dryer, she would try to keep from panicking as she asked me to "get her down!" I still laugh at the image of Chelsea sitting there so regally, like the queen she thought she was.
Being Siamese, Chelsea was very vocal. If she wanted something or she was unhappy, she let you know about it...and not in a quiet manner! You could hear her from anywhere in the house. And sometimes, it sounded like she was dying. But of course, she was just trying to get my attention. And during her three hour car rides home, she was all lungs! I thought I'd go deaf at times. But she loved the little house in West Lafayette as well as back here in Cincy, especially since she always ruled the roost wherever she went.
She always had to be at the center of attention - whether it was walking across my keyboard or sitting on my pathology notes. She wouldn't take no for an answer. And she became indignant if you tried to remove her. At home in Cincy, she convinced the dogs to give her a wide berth just by raising her paw and hissing at them -even though she had no front claws! She commanded respect from all around her. My sister fell in love with her when I brought her home. She used to dance around, with Chelsea wrapping her paws around her arm. It was the cutest thing. And even mom warmed to her enough to fix her chicken and hamburger on occasion.
Which brings me back to the present. In the past week, as Chelsea quit eating, I knew something was wrong with her. Mom fixed her all kinds of different foods trying to entice her to try something, but Chelsea ate very little if at all. I took her in to work to try to diagnose what was going on - tests showed that she had a tumor in her kidney. Today, she underwent surgery to remove the affected kidney. Now you may argue that she was old and that you wouldn't put a cat her age through such trauma. But surgery in these cases can be curative, and I was willing to give her that chance. Unfortunately, the tumor was just too invasive. It touched on her liver,her intestines, her muscles. Everywhere around it, there were adhesions. So I didn't allow her to wake up. I had already decided beforehand that if things looked ugly, I wasn't going to be selfish or try for heroic measures. It was her time. She was with me during the most difficult and most rewarding years of my life as I went through the rigors of studying. She never complained. She gave me so much in return for so little. And she will be missed sorely, by me and my family, and by Casey, the little brother she leaves behind. Thanks for letting me share some of these memories. Now back to happier thoughts.
I got Chelsea right after my freshman year in vet school. The woman who owned her worked in the business office at Purdue and she had recently married. They weren't allowed cats at the new apartment, so she had taken her two cats to her parents' farm. Chelsea protested - she did not want to be an outdoor/barn cat. She proceeded to pull out her fur. So the woman decided to find a new home for her. I had just rented a house near the vet school - one that allowed pets. Ever since I can remember I had always wanted a cat, but I was never able to have one. You see, my mother was afraid of them. She was a dog lover, so we never lacked for canine companions. But she drew the line at cats and kittens. I can remember going over to my friends' houses and spending time playing with their cats. But this was to be my first very own feline.
Chelsea made herself at home right away. She promptly proved to be a percher - resting on my shoulders, jumping into my lap. She really liked being a solo act so to speak. A month later, I added the woman's other cat Casey, whom Chelsea had grown up with, to the mix. While she wasn't happy at first, she eventually welcomed his company.
The thing I dreaded most about my new acquisition was calling my mom. I tried to break it to her gently...telling her she had a new grandchild. The humor was lost...there was this long silence, and then she said, "You really don't want me to come visit you ever do you?" Mom eventually grew to tolerate her new grandkids. Even when Chelsea would jump on her back as she bent over to remove clothes from the dryer, she would try to keep from panicking as she asked me to "get her down!" I still laugh at the image of Chelsea sitting there so regally, like the queen she thought she was.
Being Siamese, Chelsea was very vocal. If she wanted something or she was unhappy, she let you know about it...and not in a quiet manner! You could hear her from anywhere in the house. And sometimes, it sounded like she was dying. But of course, she was just trying to get my attention. And during her three hour car rides home, she was all lungs! I thought I'd go deaf at times. But she loved the little house in West Lafayette as well as back here in Cincy, especially since she always ruled the roost wherever she went.
She always had to be at the center of attention - whether it was walking across my keyboard or sitting on my pathology notes. She wouldn't take no for an answer. And she became indignant if you tried to remove her. At home in Cincy, she convinced the dogs to give her a wide berth just by raising her paw and hissing at them -even though she had no front claws! She commanded respect from all around her. My sister fell in love with her when I brought her home. She used to dance around, with Chelsea wrapping her paws around her arm. It was the cutest thing. And even mom warmed to her enough to fix her chicken and hamburger on occasion.
Which brings me back to the present. In the past week, as Chelsea quit eating, I knew something was wrong with her. Mom fixed her all kinds of different foods trying to entice her to try something, but Chelsea ate very little if at all. I took her in to work to try to diagnose what was going on - tests showed that she had a tumor in her kidney. Today, she underwent surgery to remove the affected kidney. Now you may argue that she was old and that you wouldn't put a cat her age through such trauma. But surgery in these cases can be curative, and I was willing to give her that chance. Unfortunately, the tumor was just too invasive. It touched on her liver,her intestines, her muscles. Everywhere around it, there were adhesions. So I didn't allow her to wake up. I had already decided beforehand that if things looked ugly, I wasn't going to be selfish or try for heroic measures. It was her time. She was with me during the most difficult and most rewarding years of my life as I went through the rigors of studying. She never complained. She gave me so much in return for so little. And she will be missed sorely, by me and my family, and by Casey, the little brother she leaves behind. Thanks for letting me share some of these memories. Now back to happier thoughts.
