We Love You, Pinky!

Sixteen years is a long time for a human.... a lot of life is lived in that span of time.  But apparently it is a lifetime for a cat.  That was about how long we had Pinky, our beloved white cat, with us.

I always said that Pinky was an unassuming cat.  She was always very mellow; she loved her people and was always happy to check out visitors to our home (especially if they were wearing black).  She also enjoyed a good lap.  This is one of the things that endeared her to us; she liked affection and always wanted a good pet.  We tried to accommodate her as much as possible.  If a cat can love people, then I believe that Pinky loved us.

One of the things that I enjoyed watching Pinky in was her pursuit of feline self-comfort.  If her head needed to be scratched, she put her head into a hand conveniently nearby.  If she needed food in her dish, she let us know it.  And if a patch of sunshine was somewhere in the house, you can bet she was snoozing in the middle of it. She knew how to be comfy.  You could tell when Pinky was happy because she would purr.... you couldn't miss her purr, it was pretty darn loud!

Pinky came into our family in July of 1996.  At the time she was a kitten, a stray found by one of my co-workers.  I saw her scrawny little body with the white fur and the gray cap and I think I loved her from then on.  She wowwed at me all the way home that day (she didn't really meow like most cats, her sound was more like a wow - a throaty, lower than expected version of a meow).  When we got home, she made peace with our other cat and then tamed the dog (poor old Max, I remember him looking at me with an expression that said "Can't you do something about this cat?").  She won our hearts right away.

So Pinky went about being Pinky for 16 years.  She didn't really have a favorite toy, or a special sock, or really even a special or favorite spot to sleep.  I think her favorite thing was her life, and her favorite playthings was her people.  She was family.

At sixteen years, a cat is getting on in years... We took her to the vet 3 or 4 months ago, and the vet said she was in pretty good shape for her age.  Indeed, she still ran up and down the house at times, went up and down the stairs, and jumped up on things she shouldn't have.  A few weeks ago her appetite started to wane.  We tried different kinds of cat food, softened the food for her, and tried treats and other ways to get her to eat.  We took her to the vet last who diagnosed that Pinky's condition was such that it would be best to put her to sleep, as her condition would likely dwindle into agonizing pain for her.  On Tuesday, September 25th, Pinky left this world.  Our sincere hope and belief is that she is in the spirit world, where our loved ones are giving her the chin rubs she always enjoyed.

 We miss you, Pinky...  You will never leave our hearts.  Please save a place for us in the heaven that good, loving pets go.  We'll come to you when it is time.....