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It doesn’t take long for the scene to transform dramatically.
The first crop of dandelions soon turned to seed.
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Standing proud in the afternoon sun, they seem to say:
“We have a right to be here!”
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When I was a child, dandelions were unwelcome in gardens. A relative of mine devoted hours to his lawn which did indeed always look nice, and he would have been shocked at the appearance of a dandelion.
My parents battled against them too, so I became prejudiced against this “weed”.
But in Seattle I acquired a garden and soon declared a truce. I certainly could not beat them, so instead I offered friendship.
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Having made friends with dandelions, I came to respect and even admire them.
There is a link below to a post I made four years ago, a poem of sorts. More like a sequence of words that fell out of my head.
2020 was not good for anyone and my problems were insignificant. Still, my frame of mind was poor.
We had enjoyed watching a raccoon family and the antics of the kits. Discovering that they had become rabid was awful.
That is what prompted this post…
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Can it really be four years ago?
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It seems like yesterday. I don’t feel any different except for a few more aches.
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The only thing that marks the passage of time is the absence of so many of the little feline faces I loved so much.
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It was the end of September 2018 when we moved to Cambridge with 13 cats.
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The coast to coast move was fraught with difficulties but the only one I really worried about was the transfer of the cats.
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Having witnessed first hand what can happen to animals in airports, there was no way I would entrust the cats to an airline.
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Grant and I flew from Seattle and we could each carry one cat aboard with us, so I used mileage points to get first class seats. It gave us extra legroom, but it was mostly to avoid having the cat carriers cramped.
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Willow had found her way to me in 2015. She had to travel with me, but without a second thought I chose Muffin to accompany Grant. She threw up on take-off and the journey was very tough for her.
We learned that she suffers motion sickness. As bad as that journey was for her, at least she was spared all those hours of travel by car.
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How did I choose Muffin and not my senior girl, Lily? Or Grant’s old guy, Tom?
It was not instinct. I am sure it was because she was Himalayan, like Yeti.
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In which case, why not Lucy?
Lucy seemed much hardier. She detested being held. Going through security at the airport we had to carry the cats in our arms while the carriers got checked. At the very least, Grant would have been shredded.
Willow isn’t keen on being held either and I worried that she might freak out but fortunately she seemed to feel safe in my arms and clung to me.
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Our first winter in Cambridge
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The other 11 cats were transported in two SUV’s which each had two drivers. They departed early on a Saturday morning and drove continuously.
Grant and I flew out that night, driving 4+ hours from JFK to the house I’d purchased on the internet.
Sunday was spent obtaining basic needs, not least a car and then early on the Monday afternoon the rest of the family arrived.
It was the first time the “upstairs” cats shared premises with the ex-foster gang, but in a new home no-one had personal space to defend, so things were harmonious.
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Well, mostly.
Such an agreeable little family.
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Dear old Tom left us in 2019.
He was Grant’s number one, but I was very fond of him. I loved the way he always demanded that I share my lunch with him.
In those days, I was eating mini bagels filled with cream cheese and Tom just loved cheese.
Yes, that’s cheese on his nose.
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The following year, the awful 2020, we said goodbye to Colin. As you can see he was a cat of substance, but he had been quite sick once in Seattle. We never did learn the nature of his illness but perhaps it returned.
Colin began losing weight, though otherwise he seemed fine. Expensive tests would be pointless as it was unlikely there would be a cure, or at least not one we would subject him to, even supposing we could afford it.
It was a matter of making sure that Colin was enjoying quality time and knowing when it was time to prevent the suffering that would come.
With Covid, things were complicated but it was actually helpful because such procedures were done outside and Colin drifted off in the outdoors he loved, surrounded by trees and birdsong and without stress.
We were grateful for that.
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With Tom and Colin gone, Toby was the lone male with ten girls. It seemed to make him very tired!
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It’s an awful thing, but at the beginning of each year, if you have elderly animals, you wonder if there will be another loss.
It’s not always an elderly one that goes.
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We were lucky to have two entirely loss-free years.
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In June 2023 Lucy suddenly went blind but she adjusted to her new situation and was doing well.
Then one day I could tell something was wrong and although she checked out fine at the vet, she died the following night.
There is no way of knowing, but I think the blindness was due to a brain problem and that it caused her death which came as a shock.
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Losing Lucy was especially hard because we knew that soon there would be two more goodbyes.
Not 6 weeks after losing Lucy, Penny’s back legs gave out. Grant had carried her around a lot because of her arthritis, but being so disabled was clearly very frustrating to her.
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With each day that passed, Toby was also becoming weaker. I kept asking myself how I would know when he had had enough.
We had never imagined it happening that way, but we had Penny and Toby put to sleep the same day.
That was last year, 2023.
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We had no reason to expect any more losses after those three, but I know better than to take anything for granted.
In February Patches was diagnosed with a cancerous lesion in her throat and possibly another in her brain.
We had thought she just needed an antibiotic, but she did not come home with us.
Expected losses aren’t easier. Just different.
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How did the mention of a humble dandelion get me here? One thought follows another, I suppose.
Remembering can be so poignant, but I couldn’t bear to forget the many animals I have loved.
Periodically I let it all come back. There was a time not so long ago that the pain was too difficult. I won’t say it isn’t hard now, but I am managing.
What a saga. Thank you.
(I love that photo of the cats on the rug.)
Me too!
Me too.
Thank you, Carolyn, for moving memories that were proof that grief is the price we pay for love, as the famous saying states! I love all your pictures!
Joanna
Counting the years in lost cats only goes to show what love and care you have provided for so many cats over so many years. That will never make the pain go away, but it is a legacy to be proud of.
Best wishes, Pete. x
Thank you Pete.
I’m amazed every time to read how much effort you guys put in with your cats to transport them. It testifies to the love you have for them. Remembering loved ones who left us (whether it’s people who meant a lot to us or our own pets) is always a mixture of sadness, but also accompanied by a smile when we remember them fondly. You and Grant have had a rough time losing a few of your cats in such a short amount of time, but the way you always remember them in your post is heartwarming to read.