Farewell, Little Leema, & Rest In Peace
Yesterday, when I got home from work, I went upstairs to check on the foster kitties in the Senior & Special Needs room. Sadly, I discovered that Leema had passed on sometime while I was gone. My first reaction was, of course, sadness. Leema had grown on my heart even though I’d only had her with me for a couple of months. She was a tiny, cute little thing with a HUGE personality. She greeted me every time I saw her with her “creaky” meow - it sounded like it needed a good oiling! I would pick her up and cuddle her, and she would purr her wonderful loud purr. She was a loving, funny presence - the true grumpy granny who was soft as mush on the inside. Sometimes I called her Slappy the Squirrel - those of you who watched Animaniacs will know who I mean. That was Leema.
I cried and said goodbye to her. I’ve been going through the usual routine of beating myself up, wondering if I missed some sign that she was sick. The truth is though, I really don’t think there were any signs. She was eating with gusto, very alert and seemed quite content with her life. She wasn’t sick in any visible way. This leads me to believe that what took her was something sudden, like a heart attack perhaps. And I’ve decided to be glad that she didn’t have a drawn-out illness or suffering - that it appears she just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. Not a bad way to go, all in all. And she was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-17 years old, which is a good long lifespan for a cat. I believe it was just her time, and now she’s gone on to better things.
This post is in honor of Leema. Farewell, little granny cat. Purrs and headbutts and scritches behind the ears to you. You may never have been adopted, but you DID have a home here with me, and always will in my heart.
This Crazy Cat Lady