Remembering Ivy.....

My last photo of her July 2015

A year ago today  Ivy left this world after having thrown a blood clot.  It is hard to believe so much time has gone by without her.

Lately I have been seeing black and white cats in my peripheral vision while at home.  I am assuming it is the part of or all of the quartet that left us last year - Minnie Ivy, Georgie and Lily.  I just see a shape and color but no details.

Knowing the anniversary of her passing would be coming up, I finally ordered her grave stone from Etsy.  It is smaller than I thought it would be but then so was she. Small but packed full of joie de vivre, a booming voice and abundant energy.

Ivy in our old home

I was just talking about her the other day to a new employee of the pet food store I frequent.  Knowing she is a feral cat caretaker I was explaining how I have a feral cat sanctuary.  She was surprised to hear that they were now all indoor only.  I told her about Ivy, how wild she was outside so much so I could not even touch her. I told her how I left Ivy outside one last summer in 2005  because I was worried she would not adjust to life indoors. Even after living seven years in a feral cat colony she settled right in and loved being a house cat and lap cat.  Ivy was also full of contradictions!

She loved catnip and would roll in it until she was in a stupor

Ivy as the devil cat

She lived a long and amazing life for a feral cat, surviving illness (she was FIV), being shot with a BB gun (the BB was still in her leg),  hurricanes, blizzards and the loss of her fellow ferals as they passed on during her first seven years.  After we took her in, she handled moving to a new home three years later with her usual resilience. Ivy flowed with the ups and downs of life, taking it all in stride. (Read about her life here.)

Ivy loved to nap hanging off things - beds, sofa and this heater.

I spent so much of her first years worrying about her living outdoors.  That worry bonded me to her before I could even hold her.  Once inside she was my shadow - with me everywhere I went , either beside me or on my lap. Ivy trusted me implicitly. She cracked us up daily because she had so many endearing quirks and funny habits - licking butter off my finger at breakfast, napping in the TV console, playing catch with socks on the bed, waking me up in the morning by quacking next to my face, letting me dress her up. Ivy was a unique personality, one of a kind.  We miss her every day!

Remembering Lily

Straw Hat Day

It has been a year since our sweet Lily went to the Bridge.  Time does fly.  I still wish I knew why we had to lose her so young.  With feral cats tho - there are unknown circumstances in their origins - where did she come from, was there inbreeding and what was her environment like?  So many things could have contributed to her cancer at age 9.  I had hoped with love and good food she would live a long life. That was not meant to be.

Having a tender moment with Only

I want to share my last conversation with Lily thru an animal communicator.  When I know a cat is seriously ill, I talk to my animal communicator to find out how each cat wants this to go down.  It helps me make decisions for them. 2015 was a tough year for me - I lost my brother in law, my favorite aunt and several life long family friends along with four beloved cats.  In hindsight, what Lily told me during her session with the animal communicator was preparing me for the rest of last year. It was a very spiritual experience for me.

Snuggled on my bed

Lily shared with us that since she had done this so many times before, she had no fear of dying. She was already leaving her body off and on, traveling to the other side. I asked Lily if she wanted to be with all her offspring in the cat house but she assured me that she was already communicating with them and preferred to be with me.

Keeping watch

At the time I did not know I would shortly  lose three other cats, but Lily emphasized that she would be there to greet and welcome the others when it was their time to go to the Bridge.  Lily explained to us that she was going thru this cancer now, to help teach me about about death and dying.  To Lily, death itself, was beautiful and easy. My communicator said Lily showed her a most euphoric vision of the afterlife. 

She loved to eat

Lily was not concerned about her age - there was no time on her life line, for she  had no beginning or end. Lily knew she is not her body, that she is infinite.  

Lily also told us that she  had been with me  before in other lives, and that her work with me is not over. She would be my guardian, very available to help me understand. She told the communicator that "All is OK, there is no need for anything to be different.."

It was a hard session to hear but it did help me understand  so many things, especially when to let go. Lily asked for gentle treatment, non invasive.  When things became more difficult, she wanted me to free her from her body.  That is how it played out.  The day she left us, she was no longer able to eat and was in noticeable discomfort.

I did call on Lily's spirit many times last year - to help me know how to care for  Minnie and Georgie.And when to let them go.  In life Lily was my buddy, my companion, always nearby, ready to help.  I talked to her all the time.  I still do. I mentioned in her tribute last year, (read it here)  that she was the epitome of unconditional love, mother love.  She was and still is.  Thank you dear Lily for sharing your life and lessons with me and for still being there for me until we meet again.

The quote I used on her tribute is even more appropriate  after all I went thru last year. - here it is again.

"When animals enter our life, we start on a journey filled with adventure, learning and love.  The animals reach deep into us and change us in ways that can hardly be described.  We grow in love.  And upon their leaving, we are lost, devastated.  Over time, we explore the story and see the meaning, and stand in awe of these remarkable beings.  What an honor they give us when they walk a part of our lives with us."

-- Barbara Janelle

Lily in front with Two Spot and Only

P.S. Several of you have reached out about my health.  I went to the doctor for my vertigo and she seems to feel it is allergy related.  It still comes and goes.  When it flairs up, I cannot use the computer or watch TV.  It is best to rest.  I have never had this before so it is taking some adjustment.  It seems to be lessening as the weather warms up so I hope to be able to be back online more.  Thanks for your concern.

Remembering Jack on Mancat Monday

Many of you have become familiar with my neighbor's cat Jack from my blog posts and Facebook photos - the tiny tabby with the beautiful eyes and markings. Well, he went missing in early November of this year and has not been seen since.  He is not one to go on a walkabout and he stays well away from the road  so his family believes something has happened to him and unfortunately, I feel the same.  My heart is broken at yet another loss this year.  And this is even harder - not knowing what happened to him.

Jack in the garden - for my photo project.

He was not ours but my husband and I counted him as one of our own - our part time outdoor cat. Since I included him in our blog,  I wanted to honor his memory and share some photos and stories of his short time with us.  He was the quintessential hunter, parking himself in the crawlspace under our house, waiting for a mouse or chipmunk to nab. We never had a mouse problem when he was coming by regularly.  Jack also loved to hunt voles in the garden and followed us as we weeded and worked in the flower and vegetable beds.  When he got bored he would wander off a bit to nap in the sun.

Napping in the sun

The tall evergreen in the front yard holds the bird feeders from the lower branches but Jack never once bothered with them.  Instead he would sit at the base of the tree and wait patiently for the voles to pop up out of their holes in the ground  for the seeds.  He was quick and would smack the vole just as they peeked out of the hole. He had his own game of Wack-a-Vole!.

Waiting for the voles

He got one!

Even though it was much closer to come to our house through the woods, Jack had an odd habit of walking all the way down his driveway and crossing over to ours where they met and then sauntering up our gravel driveway.  On warm days he loved to roll in the cool gravel and cover himself with the grey dust.  One day he spotted a full grown turkey in the shrubbery off the driveway.  His ears perked and he assumed stalking mode, crawling through the bushes to attack the big bird!   It didn't last long. I heard angry turkey sounds and Jack shot out from the hedge looking as ruffled as I have ever seen him. No more turkeys for him.

Jack looking in on Angel  Lily, Sweetpea and Tabitha.

 

Our kitties got very excited whenever Jack was visiting our yard.  The males would growl and fluff themselves up through the screen door but they didn't faze Jack.  I had a small catnip toy I gave to Jack whenever he came to the front or back door.  He would sit on the railing in front and look in the window if we hadn't seen him come.  In the back, we could see him through the screen door.  I still keep hoping I will see his sweet face looking in at me.

At the back door.

With his nip toy.

Asking me to come out and play.

As the air got cooler, Jack would sit on the dark colored roof of my car and soak up the sun, surveying his kingdom.  I miss seeing his diminutive muddy paw prints on the hood and roof of our cars or his footprints in the snow of our driveway.   If I had been outside with Jack and was heading to the door to go back inside,  he would hiss and pummel my feet with his front  paws as if to say "Hey don't go!"

Jack's prints int he snow as he came up the driveway.

Sitting on my car

I didn't see much of him during summers.  When his family was home, he was with them. One winter we had a good amount of snow and Jack's human dad walked with his kids across the street to sled down the hill.   Right behind them, Jack was tagging along like a dog - they hadn't seen him.  When they noticed he was following them, they sent him back up his driveway to be out of harms way.  He didn't look happy but he went.

We will miss so many things about this pint-sized cat with the huge personality.  I am guessing he was only about six years old when he disappeared.  Way too young. But as a friend told me, "Jack got to live just the way he needed and wanted.  He had the best of both worlds! All the care and love and shelter from people, but the minute he walked off his property he was his own master; the dominant tiger, staking out his territory...what a blessing to live life the way you choose."  Jack, as a cat, did swagger through a fun, exciting, adventure filled life. I often feel his spirit with me as I hike his woods.  Fly free sweet boy.  We will always remember you.