Calypso: 1997-2011
Almost fifteen years ago, we brought a tiny, sickly little brown kitten home. She had some issues early on. We had to make special meals for her; plain white rice and finely ground beef, because she couldn’t quite digest the stuff from the store. She carried on conversations, waiting for the appropriate pauses; she seemed to have language figured out. She became best friends with a pet rat. As other cats, dogs, kids, and rodents came into our lives, she lorded over them all with benevolence. She was always there to sit with you and make you feel better after you had a bad day. She had that figured out too.
But most importantly, she was mine. The first (and probably only) pet I ever had that was really, truly mine; because really, she picked me.
Last week, her old age caught up with her. She started slowing down. Wouldn’t eat. The vet said it was an infection, but she was fighting it. By the time I got home on Friday afternoon, she wasn’t doing well. I sat with her all night, kept her comfortable, and wept. She left us on Saturday morning after a long drive through the beginnings of the hurricane. She needed a little help, but I was there with her in the end. She waited for me so I could be.
I’m going to miss her. I already do.
[…] been about a year since we lost Calypso, and things have gotten such that we thought it was time to add someone new to the family. We […]
August 13th, 2012 at 7:20 AM