In early 2009, the two cats we brought with us to Oregon from Arizona passed away, well into their senior years. We were planning on going without pets for a while, but the silence in the apartment was deafening. So, in June, we went to the animal shelter and picked out two-year-old Millie and ten-week-old Chessie, whom we named after the mascot of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.
The morning we brought them home, they ran and hid. But that night, after I went to bed, Chessie climbed up onto the bed, snuggled against me and purred like a motorcycle. She chose me.
Chessie loved to play and scamper through the place before she came up to one of us (usually me) for a cuddle. She had a long, happy life full of feather toys, catnip toys, pettings, and lots of love.
Sadly, our beloved furry friends never live long enough. Last year, she started slowing down, having issues with digestion and lost a lot of weight. She had Bilious Vomiting Syndrome. We adjusted her diet accordingly, and she got better. But this last month, she really went downhill quickly, getting stiffness in her joints and losing a scary amount of weight. Then she eventually stopped eating and didn’t want to move anymore.
It was time. Last night, we had a sort of vigil for her. We made sure to let her know how much we all loved her and what a good cat she was.
Chessie departed this life at 10:30 this morning. The kind veterinary staff at her animal hospital were gracious to us and so gentle with her.
There were many tears today. Everyone in the family was mourning, even Millie seemed to be down.
Chessie, you will always be in our hearts.