Feline Friday with Rory

Happy last day of school to our daughter! Today marks the end of her second full year of teaching. Now THAT is hard to believe! Her dad and I are super proud of all she has accomplished with her band kids this year!

 

She still has a few more school events, so it will be awhile before her short summer begins and she can spend more time with little Rory. Rory is pretty excited about that!

 And Rory is proud of her mama, too! Here, Mommie, I bringed you sum catnip flowers! :)

Feline Friday: About Lily

Hello, friends. We are slowly adjusting to a household without Tinsel. Lily has never been a solo kitty so this has to be a very big change for her. But I'm giving her lots of attention and she seems to be responding well.

I know that animals have their own grieving process so I have tried to think of ways to help Lily understand this big change. For instance, I left out the carrier for her to smell after returning from the vet on that very sad day. She spent some time inside it before I put it away.

When I brought Tinsel's cremains home, I showed them to her. Of course, Lily has her own way of doing things and somehow in the midst of my sadness, she made me smile.

Naturally, Lily was quite intrigued by the box. There's a lovely poem with a gold broken heart on top. The other half of the heart is in the bag with Tinsel's cremains. 💓

She sniffed it all over, which is what I wanted her to do. She even scooted it around with her nose. When Tinsel was here with us, Lily was always poking at her, so this behavior was pretty typical. :)

Next I removed the velvet pouch from the box and let Lily take a look at it. 

 

 Bless her heart, she grabbed the cord with her teeth and lifted it up onto the scratching pad where Tinsel often sat.

 

You can see here that she has the cord in her mouth.

In her own way, I know she understands. 

The next day, I found Lily sitting in Tinsel's spot next to her cremains. The sunlight was streaming in so beautifully.

 When I'm ready, I plan to put Tinsel's cremains in the garden and along the sidewalk next to her favorite plants. Until then, we'll continue to adjust to life without her. Somehow I think Lily will be a very big part of the healing process. She's the best medicine for a broken heart.

With love for Tinsel

Janet

Meet Me at the Bridge

 Hello, friends. The past few days have been really difficult for me. I've struggled, sometimes mightily. Of course my head knew that it was Tinsel's time to go, but having to be the one to make that decision filled my heart with anguish. I had time to prepare, but it nevertheless hit me very hard.

In the days leading up to last week, I talked to Tinsel often about the Rainbow Bridge. I explained to her quietly what was going to happen, when the time was right.

I whispered in her ear to watch for my kitty Damien who would be waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for her, along with my other beloved cats and dogs. Although Tinsel and Damien never met, I told her to look for him because, as the most outgoing of the lot, Damien would no doubt be the first to greet her.

This is Damien. I loved him so much. Sadly, he passed away at a very young age when Bailey was just a little girl. Damien was such a memorable kitty that 20+ years after his passing, my vet still talks about him. :)

 Saturday morning after waking up, I walked downstairs to the kitchen carrying Lily, my eyes blurry from crying before I even got out of bed. To my utter disbelief, out on the patio was a beautiful caramel and white kitty I'd never seen before, very much like Damien. I could not believe my eyes. I quietly tiptoed to the window and tried to focus Lily's attention, but she didn't see him. I watched for some time as he sniffed around the garden plants then ran off after a rabbit. I have not seen him since.

As heartbroken as I am, I am taking this as a very comforting sign from heaven that our sweet Tinsel made it safely to the Rainbow Bridge and is now in the very good company of her special new friend, Damien.

 With much love for Tinsel, 

Janet and Lily

Feline Friday: Love for Tinsel

Friends, I had hoped to write more today but I just can't.

I thank you for all the kind words from friends far and wide who have shared Tinsel's life over the years. I am so grateful to have had her with us for nearly 16 years. Without her, there's a big hole in our hearts.

 

 

 Missing our sissy, today and always.

Janet and Lily

Very Sad News

 For those who have been following Tinsel's story, today was a very, very hard day as I made the decision to help Tinsel cross the Rainbow Bridge. I've known since February that this day was coming, but that knowledge did not make the decision -- or the process -- any easier.

If you watched last week's video, you know that Tinsel had been doing remarkably well. But in the past few days she stopped eating and her mouth began showing signs of infection. A trip to the vet confirmed that the tumor had grown much more, shifting her jaw and impeding her ability to eat.

So I knew we were at the point where I had to let our dear, sweet girl go. I'll write more later, but in the meantime, hug your furry companions a little tighter today in honor of our sweet Tinsel, and let them have a few extra kitty treats for good measure. Although I know I made the right decision, my heart is broken. 

 With love for Tinsel,

Janet

Feline Friday: Walk with Tinsel!

Tinsel is continuing to do pretty well. Each time I think she might be failing just a little, she surprises me with her strength. She's an amazing kitty!

She loves her walks outside so we continue to go out as often as possible. Turn on your sound and come along for a walk with Tinsel! :)

Happy Feline Friday! 

jp