198? - 2007
What am I doing on this damn Amish farm?
Cheap bastard won't buy me bottled water.
'Dreaming of mouse stew'
Sitting up with her deathly ill sister, Amada.
Damn! I hate when I forget my shampoo.
How do I always end up at the end of the chow line?
Damn I love this Christmas thing, but why do they bother putting my paper around those boxes?
In 1989 Garet found an almost feral cat of indeterminate age scrounging food from the dumpsters behind the Marlin Beach Hotel. He managed to lure it over to him and talked her into his car. This was probably the start of Garet turning into a ‘Crazy Cat Lady’. I named her Marlena, this was probably the start of my mini ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ phase. She was a cranky cat who would slice you up with her claws, then bite you on the hand for good measure. I knew no one else would put up with her behavior so we kept her and over time she mellowed. She got along fine with the cats we had at the time, Amanda, Nina, and Terazza but after about thirteen years with me she developed a bad allergy to something in my house. Maybe she was allergic to me, I don’t know. I sent her to ‘Garets Home for Retired Cats’ in Michigan, where she lived her last five or so years in bucolic splendor as the dowager Queen of all Garets cats. She went peacefully This past Wednesday morning.
As you can see, Marlena used the word 'damn' a lot. In fact she had quite a potty mouth and could swear and curse with the best of them. She probably picked that up when she was living on the beach before Garet found her.
ReplyDeleteMarlena did not care too much for Michigan winters and got use to spending most last years sleeping on my kitchen stove for warmth and to be close to the food.
ReplyDeleteShe was as fiesty at 19+ years as she was when we first found her.
That heart of my kitchen is empty now, as is a space in my heart. I'll miss "my little pink nose girl" as I called her.
Anyone who has had a long time animal companion die knows this feeling. She left us rich with two decades of memories with which to treasure.
Bye Marlena, we'll miss you. Your an angel now.
Marlena was definitely a Putz!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad she went peacefully. she is now in kitty heaven.
Garet: I am sorry you had to go through the loss, and know that it is difficult. She knows you were there for her.
ReplyDeleteGaret and Alan, you both can be content with your memories of a cat who had a great life with you both. 19 yrs!! Her time would have been much shorter on the streets and I bet she knew she had it good.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest cat, Tucker, who is 5 yrs old and quite a character was found trying out Marlenas "throne" on the kitchen stove this morning. He was laying exactly the way Marlena did in the middle between the burners and enjoying the warmth. I guess they know she is gone and are filling the space. Comforting....
ReplyDeleteTucker!! Does he wear a little bow tie like Tucker Carlson?
ReplyDeleteMy sympathies for your loss of beautiful calico Marlena.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Nancy. I'm only happy that I had the priveldge of supplying Marlena with the very best veterinary care, with Alan's support, in her elderly years. The last 4-6 years of her life she lived in bliss.
ReplyDeleteLest we forget all the neglected, abandoned, homeless, abused, and injured pets that end up in shelters everyday.
Please support your local no-kill shelters in your area with ANY donation you can, not only money but towels, blankets, toys, food, medical supplies, etc.
Oh, you're welcome, Garet! I'm a cat lover too. I like dogs, but can't resist a cat. When we bought our "house in the country" over 36 yrs. ago it came complete with 50 cats. 50!!! Most were barn cats, but every one got a name & hug. As the years moved on so did the cats, but new ones seeped in too. Now we're down to only one, Sabrina, & she's 12 yrs. old (I think older---whose counting?). One of these days......dreading it.
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