In Memory Of a Beautiful Friend

Talk about Hell Week. Root canal on Saturday, Mark gets sent back to Calgary from Regina on Monday morning due to Covid-19, school gets cancelled Monday afternoon, and then Crushy really starts to fall ill and dies on Friday morning (March20th). It can only go up from here, right? 

But anyway, what to say about this kitty that showed up in our yard the summer we moved in? Well, first of all, having been raised by his mother outside well into the winter, he was about the fluffiest little thing you can imagine. Good God! - he was a cutie. I tried to get him into the house by grabbing him off the deck one day. We had a heated house for the cats on the deck. Crush, his Mama and an old Tom we called Goliath used it. We assume Goliath was Daddy. Well, like most cats, things have to happen on their own terms, and when I grabbed him, he bit down very hard on my thumb. So hard, that I dropped him and he ran off. I kept feeding them and keeping an eye on them, and then one day, close to Christmas, Crush came in and made himself at home under the tree. He was pretty much instantly tame, which I thought was a bit weird, but was happy about. The kids called him Crush not only because of his colour, but because of how he "crushed" my finger when I tried to cat-nap him.

He has been an incredible cat. Laid back, polite as they come and he seemed to me to be very wise. I always wondered what was going through his mind. I always know what's going through Georgia's mind - ham. And with Sooty, well, let's be honest, there's not much going on in there. But Crush seemed to consider things and he always took his time in greeting people. In the morning, when letting the three of them in from the garage, Crush would rush in alongside the other two, but would then stop, sit down and look up at you. It was then my job to bend down, say "good morning Crushy" and give him a welcoming rub-down. He also, never once put up a fight at bedtime when it was time to go out to the garage. Unlike Georgia who is in a constant battle with us for creative ways to get more food. No, out of all the cats I've taken care of in my adult life, Crushy was definitely the best behaved most likable one. I'm absolutely heartbroken that his life ended so abruptly and at such a young age. But, I am very glad that he chose to come and live with us, because he would have said goodbye to this world a lot sooner if he didn't get the care we gave him. Rest in Peace sweet Crushy, we will miss you.

Kaitlynn insisted that Crush be transported to the vet with her blanket and Chip, her beanie buddy. We had decided to 

euthanize him, but he died at home when I tried to move him. His heart was just too weak. We took him to the vet

and he will be cremated and added to our collection of kitty urns.

It's so hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet, but I am glad he's no longer suffering. Life

was pretty difficult for him, although he was a stoic fellow.

These two very rarely snuggle up together, and they were very upset when Crush was dying. All of us, except Bear was

with him. Georgia was really the only that later displayed any behaviour that proved she knew that something was wrong.

Although Sooty was the most vocal when it was actually happening, he didn't show any signs that things were

different later that day.