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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Amazing Grace—Such a long, long run

My sweet kitty Grace’s long LONG run has come to an end. After watching her fairly stable (but old) condition decline last week and especially over the weekend, I had her put to sleep in our home on Monday—a decision I believe was perfect timing.  

Gracie and I met in Dallas almost 22 years ago, on or around August 1st, 1994; she was given to me by a friend who found her in unusual circumstances. She has been a constant companion, a pain in the butt sometimes, but always and forever a sweet little girl, delicate from day one until the day she passed into the beyond. She truly embodied her name.

Gracie started out as a foundling in Dallas TX, then she became a Chicagoland cat, and finally a Colorado kitty. She saw the kitten I got for her 1st birthday (Archer) pass away at 16 ½. She recently went through Quincy, my dog, transitioning. And now her time has come to pass into pure spirit, pure love.

Grace, unlike Archer and Quincy, was never sick a day in her life. She was easy that way. She was, however, a very picky eater—until the very end. Sometimes there could be as many as 5 food bowls lined up on the kitchen floor and me hoping one of them would be adequate enough for Grace to eat. Such a picky eater!!! (Admittedly, I gave in to her more as she got older. I revered her age, which made me much more susceptible to her picky ways.) Toward the end I would bring the food to her, but still if it didn’t suit her, she would turn up her nose.

See what I mean...
She had a tremendous “voice.” Burmese, like Siamese, can come with loud cat cries and Gracie sure had one all her own. It kept me up or woke me up for years, but the last year or so of her life, she didnt have the loud cry. I guess old age has its advantages.

After moving to Boulder, I adopted Quincy Blu, an Australian Cattle Dog, who was kind and sweet; he passed away last summer. Although Grace lived with him for over 7 years, what seemed like each and every time she saw him she acted (and reacted) like she had never seen him before, looking incredulously at this giant beast who had walked into her space or who she was passing by. That always made me chuckle.

Grace was a true cat. She preferred to hang out alone usually and sleep in secluded areas. Just before Quincy passed last July, she started to sleep and live exclusively on my bed. I thought when the habit started that perhaps it was her way of being closer to me toward the end. I think I will continue to think that, no matter if its true or not.


After 22 years together, I called this sweet girl by many names, some of these included: Grace, Gracie, Grainy, Gracilla, Princess Grace, Amazing Grace, Sweetie, Puddin, Pumpkin, Lovey, Sweetness, Silly Girl, Macy, Macy-Macy-My Gracie, Mookie, Mocha Chocolata, Brown Girl (shes espresso—Burmese—but looks black), Little Girl, Sweetness of Life, Sweet Thing. More recently I was calling her Skittles. (She lost some function/stability of her back legs—so she kind of side-winded and skittled about.)

Although I mentioned I think her passing was at the right time, I didnt think that at first. Like so many pet guardians, I struggled with the thought that perhaps I was putting her down too soon. I felt this with Quincy Blu as well. But like Quincy, once the day was dawning for the vet to come over, it was abundantly clear that indeed I was not too early, in fact I was hoping I was not taking these steps too late.

When all is said and done, I truly believe that her passing came at the perfect time—for her. She felt ready, she seemed in some discomfort, and I feel blessed that I could have my wonderful vet come to the house (like he has done twice before) and euthanize my sweet 22 year old in the peace and comfort of her home and in her “place.” The special place that was all her own where she slept and ate and finally took her last breath.

Thank you Grace for these 22 years. You came to me (thank you, Teel) unexpectedly and gave me unimaginable years of joy and love. I love you, Sweet Girl. Macy, Macy, My Gracie—rest, in peace.

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comments:

  1. Ponie Lunsford May 25, 2016 at 2:11 PM
    A very lovely tribute to Grace. The Pictures are wonderful! Sweet Gracie - Peaceful transition! xox

  2. yazalady June 1, 2016 at 8:42 AM
    Such a deeply touching and moving tribute to Gracie.
    Thank you for sharing this very intimate experience with us.