I just learned that Cu the Cat is no more. She and my new neighbour were walking along the street when a cab came around a corner at speed. Fortunately, my neighbour was able to dive out of the way, but Cu did not make it. My neighbour says she didn’t suffer. The cab returned, fearing that he had struck my neighbour, so I’m told he got an ear full. I hope he slows down in the neighbourhood from now on, for everyone walks on the street here. I’m tremendously relieved that my neighbour was not hit – such an awful welcome to the neighbourhood.
Cu was extremely friendly, thus my new neighbour going for a stroll with her. Her thing in life was to snuggle up and purr. Cu had been abandoned by another person in the neighbourhood (oddly enough, the same person who routinely borrows cats from me for days at a time). When I first came across Cu, she was very pregnant and nearly dead, lying on my fire escape. I took her in, expecting the worst, but after a couple of weeks she started moving about more and more, and by the time she had her litter, she was healthy enough to be a very attentive mom cat. Eventually she regained her health in full, weighing in at a wee six pounds, but she always remained strongly bonded to me, following me about and always running to me whenever I whispered her name, no matter how softly.
I don’t know why, but Cu’s favourite place to be was on my head. I guess when you are a tiny cat, it is as good a place as any. This made for some interesting times when she had her litter. When she looked about ready to give birth, I read up on the matter, and fully expected her to find some secluded, dark place to quietly make a nest. I went about the apartment stuffing blankets in appropriate places in anticipation. Then one night I woke up with a mewing cat in my hair. As quick as I peeled her off, she would crawl back on, forcing me to spend the night sitting up. Even after her litter arrived, again I could not keep her away. No matter where I moved the family, she would later bring them back to where ever I was sleeping that night, whether I was sleeping in bed or on the floor. Eventually I gave up and learned to live with a cat in my hair.
Pets each have their own disposition. Some are curious, some are independent, some are crazy. Cu was sweet. Just plain sweet. Nothing ever bothered her, and like I said, all she ever seemed to want to do was snuggle and purr. Her full grown sons would quiet down and come trotting over to her to her whenever she mewed, which she would do when they became too boisterous. Keeping a lid on things will be a challenge without her.
Each of her offspring has some looks and traits from her. I found homes for a couple of them, but the three remaining with me will remind me of how sweet Cu was. I have had calls from the people who adopted two of them, saying that they are the greatest things that have ever happened to them (much to the protests of their husbands). I guess you could say that one of the traits Cu passed on was her sweetness, for all her offspring are truly delightful in this respect. The ones remaining with me have been out of sorts since Cu’s death, and the one who observed the accident has been vomiting since then, but with any luck they will get back into their routine of tearing the apartment down and then curling up for a purr.
She was a such a sweet cat – a fine companion to me, and a loving mother to her litter. I’m glad I had the opportunity to provide her with a home for a time. I’ll miss her.