Saying goodbye to our white queen
Like I mentioned on Monday already, we did have to put our little white 19 year old Lucy to sleep. I really dreaded writing this post today and I won’t make it a long one. I just want it to be a tribute for her so she can live on forever on my blog for anyone who wants to read about her and my other cats. You can read more about the other ones by clicking HERE.
It’s a difficult post for me to write but I’m definitely taking solace in the fact that she had such a long happy life with us and she is now joining her best friends Heidi and Lilly who passed away last year at 18 and 22 years old. Living with our two young cats Willy and Maya definitely didn’t make her happy and she missed her old friends.
Lucy stopped eating on Thursday and even with me trying to syringe feed her, she didn’t bounce back this time. By Monday morning after not eating for days on her own, I knew that the time had come. She could barely walk and the oddest thing was that she didn’t sleep anymore either. She used to sleep all day but in her last couple of days she would just stare into space and I just didn’t see her curl up and sleep anymore.
I just knew that her time had come and I was beyond glad that she had waited for us to come home from vacation so we could say our goodbyes. Last year my husband had to put our calico Lilly to sleep while we were in Germany and I hated not being there for her.
This was also the first time that my two kids came with me on that final ride to the vet and I was surprised that my daughter wanted to stay in the room with me and Lucy when she passed. My son said he just couldn’t do it which is also understandable. It surely was an important life lesson to learn for both of them.
Lucy was a very special girl and this is how I described her on my cat page: “She is so small but don’t let her size fool you. She is a very feisty little thing and doesn’t take any bullying from the other furry kids. Everybody loves her the minute they walk into our house. My husband brought her home from the shelter when I sent him to donate some food and blankets. He fell in love with her because she was the loudest cat in the place. She loves to talk.” (who else here adopts a cat because it is loud?)
The first night my husband brought her home, I slept in our spare bedroom with her to get her used to our house and us as well as separated from the other cats. I woke up in the middle of the night with her sitting on my chest and staring at me. I was actually somewhat shocked and thought he had adopted an alien. We didn’t have to keep her separated from the others for long. She just walked out and owned the place.
She was always the star and center attraction when people came to our house and managed to convert them to actually liking cats if they didn’t before. A true queen!
In her younger years she loved to play fetch like a dog, have catnip parties, watch TV, follow me through the house and be our chest sitter. For the longest time she would wait for my husband to go to bed so she could sit on his chest, meow and stare at him. Things changed when she was a confused and senile old lady and lost her friends. She was never the same again.
Remember my Heidi was in diapers before she passed? (I wrote a post about how I care for my elderly pets HERE)
Heidi and Lucy loved each other. I have never seen such a bond in any of our other cats before.
We also had plates made for all of our cats by my favorite artist who also has a collection for West Elm (click HERE). You can check out her custom work on Etsy baby clicking HERE.
I know the plates are cheesy to most people but to me they serve the purpose of making me smile when I remember my cats who have passed away instead of thinking back with sadness.
And lastly one photo of her famous Queen B look with her piercing mustard colored eyes who looked right inside you.
Rest in peace our little special girl. You will never be forgotten.
Tschüß,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Hugs my friend and thanks for sharing her with us.
Thank you Trish
So very sorry about your Lucy, but I’m glad you were able to be with her in her final moments. We had our sweet Lua put to sleep a year ago (she was 20) just two days before my annual trip home to Texas. My boyfriend had had to have our other cat, Oscar, put to sleep several years before while I was traveling (just like the situation with your Lilly). That broke my heart and I said I couldn’t go through that again. I brought both of those furry friends with me when I moved from the USA to Austria back in 2000, and they were some of my best friends ever, so I understand what you’re feeling right now. I do love the picture of Lucy in the planter – she probably imagined she was a jungle cat!
Thanks Alison, yes it’s an awful feeling.
I think Lucy liked sitting in the planter to hide or scare the other cats LOL
What a beautiful tribute. She was well taken care of and well loved. Thank you for saving her and giving her such a wonderful life.
Thanks Arli
So sorry for your loss Julia. Lucy was gorgeous. I have a very spoilt Russian Blue cat named Romeo.
Thanks Ann and hope your Romeo is doing well
so very sorry for your loss, your love for your cats is so evident on the blog. i’m glad you got to spend some time with her before she passed, and i’m glad you were sure in your decision…i dread this day when it comes and i have to make a decision about my two babies, who are the loves of my life. how wonderful all these photos are for memories…oh, the one of her peeking out of the vase/pot…a treasure!
b
I’m definitely glad that I take so many photos to remember them. And it will never be an easy decision even when you know it’s the right thing because you want someone else to make that decision for you
So sorry for your loss, but what a wonderful life this beautiful cat had!! I know you miss her terribly.
Yes I do, it does help to know she lived it to the fullest
Crossing the rainbow bridge…..Run free Lucy ♥
Thanks Cyndie
Cats are so special. Sincerest condolences to you and your family. What a beautiful girl!
Thanks Donna, we appreciate it
I am so sorry for your loss. It is always so heartbreaking to go through. But she is with her friends and feels so much better now.
I commented earlier in the year on what a nice person you seemed like and how much I appreciated all the work you for the local strays. And I am now commenting again to say how sorry I am to hear about Lucy! She was a lucky girl to have you guys in her life and will be at peace now with her other furry friends. I always say to my friends when a beloved pet passes way the best way to honor their life is to open your heart and home to another. Certainly you already have 2 others so not to say that you need to or should depending on how much space you have and how much space you want… but your continued work to take care of them and the strays in your area is an incredible tribute. Keep your head up and keep up the good work! With love from NJ.
Oh that is definitely the best way to do it and I’m planning on opening my heart again. And thanks so much for commenting again, it makes my day
I know you wrote this with a heavy heart. Thinking of all of you today.
Thank you Betty
So sorry for your loss. Glad you can take comfort in knowing that she had the best life imaginable.
Thanks Ann we definitely do
Beautiful tribute and pictures.
Thanks Carol
i am so sorry for your loss and i think the plates are such a sweet reminder. i would smile at those, too. what a lucky cat she was that your husband walked in at that moment and she got to spend her years with your loving family.
Thanks my friend. He didn’t even see her at the shelter, he only heard her voice and asked who that loud cat was. He didn’t even see how beautiful she was
Hi Julia, so sad for you and Lucy. It is so hard to make the decision to let our pets go to their final resting place. You have taken so many great photos of her… wonderful reminders that will help you keep her memory alive.
I love the plates. I have seen them in person and didn’t know the story behind them. Now that I do, I like them even more… XO
Yes the decision is the worst, thanks Diane. And The story behind the plates definitely makes them better LOL
Oh Julia, I’m so very sorry and I’m in tears for your loss. I’m glad though that you were able to spend the last days with sweet Lucy. She had such a great and long life with you. Your beautiful white queen will be in your hearts forever. The plates are a lovely way to remember your kitties.
Sending you a very big hug,
Julia
Thanks Julia, I’m so grateful for that
Such a beautiful tribute (and yes, I cried through the whole thing). Such a gorgeous girl with an equally gorgeous personality. She clearly had a wonderful life with her humans and I love that you have those sweet plates to commemorate her memory. Big hugs darling as I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to let her go xxx
Thanks my friend, I didn’t mean to make your cry 🙁
I am so, so sorry for your loss of your sweet girl! Thinking of you and your family. 💕
Thanks Emily
I am so terribly sorry for you and your family. My heart aches for you! Thank you for the beautiful tribute to your extraordinary Lucy💔
Thank you
Dear sweet Lucy will always be loved. Your family gave her a lovely long life with lots of love and cuddles. She gave just as much if not more back. A very special girl.
She definitely gave back more than we could ever give her.
So sorry for your loss, what a beautiful tribute to Lucy. I feel and know your pain, 2 wks. Ago we had to put our sweet 16 yr. old tortie Leilani to sleep. Thank you for sharing your sweet kitties with us. R.I.P. Sweet Lucy.
Oh I’m so sorry about your Leilani. 16 years is a great age too
So very sorry. Your babies are so are for you have no regrets. I can’t stop crying. If only every shelter baby could have a loving home. Sometimes it’stoo Overwhelming.
Oh I don’t want you to cry and I know exactly how you feel about the shelter situation being overwhelming. How do we pick our pet when there are so many with so much love to give and all are deserving of a great home.
A lovely tribute to a sweet kitty. Your pictures are beautiful. Wishing you peace.
Thank you Kristin
Julia, I am so sorry for your loss. Little Lucy was beautiful. It is so heartbreaking to lose a pet. They are such a HUGE part of our lives. She had an amazing home and family and I know she knew how much she was loved. I have 4 rescue kitties and I am always so grateful to others who rescue. I am crying as I write this because I’ve had to make the same decision to end the suffering so many, many times. There are no words to make you feel better. Bless you.
Thanks for your sweet remembrance . I too have several of the white cats..its a breed from Thailand. They are next to human in expressing emotions, Talking and being present with whatever is going on. They are so precious. God sent them to us when the angels are busy. I make a ceremony to celebrate their living and that helps with the overwhelming sense of loss. I drink a bottle of champagne and upend the bottle in the garden..a soldier down. There are times i still feel one or the others presence. Love to you all..Nomeste.
So sorry for your family’s loss. They really do take a piece of our hearts when they leave. I truly believe that someday when I pass I will have a wonderful reunion with all my pets that went before me. The Pope even said that pets go to heaven. 😉 Sending thoughts of peace and healing your way.
Crying. My.Jewels and Scarlett are 14 and I continually tell them to stop getting old!
What a beautiful tribute to Lucy! She lived a full life with her furry and human family members, surrounded by love and kindness. Hope the memories of Lucy bring you and your family comfort and peace.
I am so very sorry to hear about Lucy. What a beautiful precious kittie she was. I have three rescue kitties, but I’ve had many more through the years. I’ve been a cat lover my entire life. They are an exceptional animal. When they honor you with their love it’s never ending. They will hunt you down to shower you with head bumps, biscuits and purring loudly. We have three individual kitties that are loved for their uniqueness. I can’t imagine not having a cat or two or three 😊 In my life….. Always! Bless you for taking your love and sharing it with these wonderful fur babies. Kittie lives have been changed because of you and your love. Lucy’s spirit will live on in the kittie that joins you next.
Sorry for your loss. The plates are a happy reminder of their time with your family.
Julia we spoke over IG this week but I loved reading this tribute and seeing all these lovely images of your Lucy.
Be well xx
So sorrow for the heartache you and your family are experiencing now. Lucy was a beauty and how blessed she was to have found your family! Because of your love of animals your kids are gaining valuable life lessons on caring, giving, loving and living with how to deal with grief and sorrow. Blessings to all.
So very sorry about Lucy. Thank you for giving her a loving and happy home. I love how y’all love your kitties.