Moving on.....

[Are_grits_groceries]

I haven't posted because I didn't want to be a continual downer.

It is painful without Mousie. Scat keeps looking for her. She will periodically walk around the apartment meowing for her. She comes back looking puzzled. I don't meow but I think I do that too without realizing it.

It's weird without her because we were like three planets who had settled in familiar orbits around each other. Now that Mousie's gone, the orbits are out of whack. We had developed many patterns that I wasn't aware of until she passed.

I was not the sun in this arrangement. I may have been the biggest with more responsibilities, but Mousie and Scat each had qualities that had just as much pull. The love and constant company were as important as anything I did if not more.

I have not had roommates so we were the 3 amigos for 17 years. We are still the 3 amigos in many ways.

I will add 2 tiny amigos at some point. Scat and I will know when and who at the right time.

Until then.......

[Whisp]

1. ...

[CherokeeDem]

2. Hugs to you and Scat...

Eventually old habits will fade into new ones, the emptiness filled with other little paw prints, but the love and the memories remain to give us peace.

Peace to you and Scat.

[riqster]

3. Hugs aren't enough, I know. But:

[MoonRiver]

4. Grits, I so relate.

It's been 2 months now since we lost our beloved Pumpkin. Still doesn't feel right in the house. Someday we will get another doggy, but Pumpkin never be "replaced."

[3catwoman3]

22. I have had many cats come into my life, and leave after various periods of time...

...many way too soon. I never think of a new cat as a replacement, but rather as a successor. One of our vets told us that the very best way to honor a departed kitty was to provide the same loving home to someone else.
Wise words.

[MoonRiver]

25. I feel that way too.

We gave our baby the best life a doggie could have. I think she would be honored to have another needy little critter be given the same opportunity. But it does still hurt. I'm about to cry as I type this.

[calimary]

32. That is a superbly lovely thought.

Paying it forward. Really lovely of your vet to suggest that. Seems to me that is INDEED the best way to honor the spirit of your departed pet. Adopt another one who has no home and no one to love and care for them - the way you did for the pet who's passed. They're such wonderful companions. I can't imagine life without them.

And MUCH LOVE TO YOU, TOO, Are_grits_groceries!!!!! (I'm YELLING so you'll hear me upthread! ) And to all your furry friends past, present, and future!

[irisblue]

5. ((Scat)) ((Grits))

[lamp_shade]

6. Welcome back, grits. You were missed.

I've checked often to see if you were "back". My heart has felt your sorrow. My 20-yr-old cat has been gone for 7 years but not a day goes by that something doesn't happen to remind me of what a great friend she was. I still find myself doing things for her... like making sure that when I iron I unplug the cord and put it on top of the ironing board.

[marble falls]

7. A beautiful openning to a wonderful book. Write it?

[Le Taz Hot]

8. You won't have to find your 2 new amigos,

they'll find you. I keep trying to pare down my kittie count around here but every time one crosses that rainbow bridge, it's only a matter of months before another lands on my doorstep. When my Thomas O'Mally Kissie Kittie passed, a pregnant Shasta showed up at my doorstep. (I kept her kittens, Erica, Henry and Xena.) When Shasta decided to go live somewhere else, here comes Loki (5 weeks old). After Jerry passed (Thomas' brother), here comes a pregnant Dutchess (found great homes for her kittens) and when my last one died, Sly kittie, here comes Alaska (solid white with one green eye and one blue eye). Seven kitties seems to be the magic number in this house. As I said, grits, they'll find you.

[3catwoman3]

23. Next time my husband grumbles about 5...

...I am going to quote you about 7 being your magic number.

[Le Taz Hot]

24. I've had as many as 11

and yes, I am the crazy cat lady on the block. Luckily, we have 2 others on my block as well. All my charges get spayed/neutered, shots, care and feeding, lots of love and a place to call home.

[Half-Century Man]

9. Been 3 years since my dog Edward died.

We lost the house he shared with us, never lived in this apartment. Yet, in the dawn of waking, I sometimes can hear the clack of his nails on the kitchen floor.

Current absence of physical presence is not absence of presence.

[niyad]

10. ((((((((grits and scat)))))))) what a beautiful tribute to the love you three share. thank you

so much for posting. those of us who have lost our own beloved companions know what you are going through, and our hearts ache. mousie will send you exactly the ones you need when the time is right. in the meantime, know that our hearts are with you and scat, with little purrprayers to mousie.

[GoCubsGo]

11. It will be Mousie that sends you the 2 new amigos.

It will be when you least expect it. That's how it always seems to work.

[mountain grammy]

12. Thanks for saying what most of us have felt at times in our lives

when we have to say goodbye to our dear, loyal friends. Hold Scat close and you will know when the time is right. Sending you good thoughts.

[Divernan]

13. I know . . . I know.

After my sweet "senior" cat died (sudden, heart/stroke), his "kid sister" cat would regularly go sit by the side door to the terrace and look at me expectantly. (My cats are indoor cats, except for the fenced side terrace and fenced 2nd story deck.) My big guy could be trusted out there - couldn't jump high enough to escape - but juvenile calico cat was an escape artist. So I'd take them both out to explore the plantings, keep a sharp eye out for voles and chipmunks, etc., - it was like having playground duty, and then bring her in, but let him nap in the sun longer, as he loved to do. So after awhile, she'd hang out at the door, waiting for me to let her buddy in. It is so sad to see her there. I took in another stray about 2 months prior to that, and he and senior cat were instant buds. But you can't substitute one cat for another - I find the longer I share my home with a pet, the more personality and capacity for affectionate interaction the pet develops. Meanwhile, little girl cat is now senior cat, and she and ginger tom new guy are frenemies. No mutual grooming or curling up together for naps. Lots of chasing & posturing - no actual fighting - but it makes for a very different atmosphere. Last night was the first time they both curled up next to me on the sofa, so things slowly improve. Thanks for the Christopher Robin illustration. It is so sweet, and just how I feel.

[riverbendviewgal]

14. hugs to my fellow pooh friend

March 3rd Mochey the cat my late son k owned died. I got him when k died. When I moved to my friends house where no pets allowed I gave Mochey to my older son, b. Who later moved to the UK and Mochey went with him. That was 2 years ago.
Old age finally hit Mochey with kidney problems. The senior cat clinic helped him but he took a turn for worse and passed on quickly with my son and family by his side.
My older son is my Pooh and my younger son was always Tigger. I like to think K was waiting at the rainbow bridge fo Mochey. My older son had Mochey cremated. I will get some his ashes and put them where K and his dad are. Mochey was almost 19 human years old.

Remember your good memories. They will help in your sorrow.
Peace and love

[magical thyme]

15. ...

[zeemike]

16. I can relate to how you feel right now.

I lost my Winky 3 years ago and she had been with me for nearly 20 years, and the house still seems empty without her.

But somehow I feel that once they have a place in your heart they never really leave you even after they cross the rainbow bridge.
The pain gets less as time passes but the memory is forever.

[Puglover]

17. It's been almost two years since Thomas

left us. I still ache for that valiant little man.



It's awfully hard to lose them.

[Skittles]

34. wow he was gorgeous

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.....
I loved you so --
'twas Heaven here with you.

--by Ilsa Paschal Richardson

[Puglover]

39. Thanks Skittles.

He was a Manx/Lynxpoint Siamese/Maine Coon.

Great to look at but in the end I think a gene cross doomed to fail.

He was just a complete doll.

He had just recovered from a horrible hypoglycemic crash. He was basically comatose for 3 days due to a colossal vet fuck up.

And then he woke up and jumped up on the table for his usual treats.

That was July. In Nov. we had to put him down due to malignant intestinal blockage. He was 7.

[66 dmhlt]

18. When the time comes, REALLY looking forward to pictures of your 2 new "Amigos"!

I took six months the last time. But that was mostly because I had to wait for a shelter kitten.

The other two that had gone over the Rainbow Bridge before the kitten were also shelter cats - but not kittens. I suspect shelters have an abundance of cats, but kittens are harder to come by - at least at my shelter.

[Gothmog]

19. I know how you are feeling

Yesterday, the vet called to tell me that my dog's ashes are ready to be picked up. That hit me hard for some reason.

This last week, my middle child was in from law school for spring break. Her bearded collie looked all through my house for my dog and was really sad when she could not find him. It was really painful.

Hang in there. It gets better

[TBF]

20. ((Hugs)) nt

[LWolf]

21. That's what it was like when I lost my old cat 2 years ago.

I, and the dog, saw her everywhere. I knew I would have another cat at some point, but was in no hurry. I was still mourning. I don't know how long it would have taken me if someone hadn't dumped a tiny kitten, a feral rescue, on me. Literally asked me to hold her for a moment in a parking lot while she went to get her purse, never coming back.

She's 2 years old now and hasn't replaced my old friend; no one could and no one will. Still, caring for and socializing her helped my old dog and I over some of the worst.

[BarbaRosa]

26. I know,

we lost Tiger last June. I was doing pretty good until Christmas and there was only three little stockings hung. That took a while to get past.

I still miss the morning time, when I would be sitting on the can (sorry bout the mental image) Tiger on my lap, wireless headphones tuned to Washington Journal and playing freecell on a pocket freecell player.

[CrispyQ]

27. Hugs to the Three Amigos.

Love this: I was not the sun in this arrangement. I may have been the biggest with more responsibilities, but Mousie and Scat each had qualities that had just as much pull.



I've had many cats & dogs over the years & they all have their special place in my heart & when I lose one I think I will never get another. But then, fate drops another little friend on my path & I am so glad to have had shared my journey with so many fine friends.

{{grits}} {{Skat}} {{Mousie}}

[Cooley Hurd]

28. I have felt what you're feeling many times in the past....

Those places in our souls where we've held our dear friends will feel empty at times, but the joy of our other friends will serve to fill those holes with smiles and love over time. The key is time, and love. Mousey will always live in your heart. Always!!

[840high]

29. Don't wait too long - some kitty(s)

out there needs your love.

[brer cat]

30. I remember when I lost one of two kitties.

The one remaining cried so much it just broke my heart. They do miss their buddies as much as we do.

for grits and scat.

[ColesCountyDem]

31. The thing is, love never dies....

The corporeal substance returns to the dust from which it came, but that which animated it never passes away. Love is immortal, you see.

[3catwoman3]

35. "That which animates never passes away."

An eloquent way to put it, CCD. Thank you.

I typically seek out a successor quite soon after the loss of a beloved kitty. I know not eveyone does, but for me, it is the only thing that ever makes me feel even a little better. I think your above statement helps me to put into words why that might be - the love is still there, but it has no place to go, no one to attach to. Welcoming a new friend allows that free-floating love another place to anchor. I think love needs a place to be.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

37. you also said it well.

the love is still there, but it has no place to go, no one to attach to. Welcoming a new friend allows that free-floating love another place to anchor. I think love needs a place to be.

[ColesCountyDem]

38. Yes. *nod*

I cry, I mourn and I remember, but in my heart, I also hear my beloved companion whispering, "Honor my memory by giving the love with which you showered me to another who so desperately needs it".

[Skittles]

33. ...

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.....
I loved you so --
'twas Heaven here with you.

--by Ilsa Paschal Richardson

[PumpkinAle]

36. I believe an Angel is watching

over you and Scat.........

[malaise]

40. After mommy cat disappeared years ago

we decided to feed the ferals - it's way less painful