2008 Memorials to Special Cats: Lexi
I met Alexis at the Bellevue Humane Society (near Seattle) when I was 20 years old. She reached her little paw toward me, through the mesh of the cage, and I was instantly smitten. I still have her faded adoption certificate which listed her fee as $20 (including vet visit). It's unfathomable to me that any price could have been assigned to an entity as lovely as Lexi. But, thank goodness, my paycheck at the time (barely) afforded me the privilege of spending almost 18 years with her -- and having a lifetime of Lexi in my heart.
Lexi and I traveled everywhere together.
We moved 12 times in 10 years -- some of those years with my husband-to-be. Our friends were always astonished that within three hours of moving somewhere, Lexi would already have picked her favorite spots in the apartment, found her food and her litterbox, and explored the garden or patio, if there was one. And then she'd settle in for the night as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn't just wrenched her away from her previous home, her soft bed, and her favorite haunts.
She was a pacifist among cats, never hurting birds or mice or other creatures within her grasp. She spent hours sniffing flowers in the garden and watching sunsets. She swam her way through foot-deep snow like a little alligator. She loved climbing on rooftops. If there was a skylight, she'd find a way to get up there and perch her little kitty bottom on the glass.
She was mischievous and sly. She did everything on Lexi time. But even when she was out and about, she'd stick her head in through the cat door periodically to let us know she was okay -- before embarking on her garden tours.
She was, to me, an angel on earth. I wish her last two years had been illness-free -- that life could have rewarded her for the utter joy and serenity she brought to me and mine. Even in the throes of her illness, she never complained. She was stoic in the way cats are, in the way she shouldn't have had to be. Every vet and vet tech fell in love with her. She was simply pure, unadulterated love. I can only hope that the beacon of sweetness that was Lexi on this earth, earned her a bounty of kitty happiness, somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge. She is deeply missed and will always be our Forever Cat.
Lexi and I traveled everywhere together.
We moved 12 times in 10 years -- some of those years with my husband-to-be. Our friends were always astonished that within three hours of moving somewhere, Lexi would already have picked her favorite spots in the apartment, found her food and her litterbox, and explored the garden or patio, if there was one. And then she'd settle in for the night as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn't just wrenched her away from her previous home, her soft bed, and her favorite haunts.
She was a pacifist among cats, never hurting birds or mice or other creatures within her grasp. She spent hours sniffing flowers in the garden and watching sunsets. She swam her way through foot-deep snow like a little alligator. She loved climbing on rooftops. If there was a skylight, she'd find a way to get up there and perch her little kitty bottom on the glass.
She was mischievous and sly. She did everything on Lexi time. But even when she was out and about, she'd stick her head in through the cat door periodically to let us know she was okay -- before embarking on her garden tours.
She was, to me, an angel on earth. I wish her last two years had been illness-free -- that life could have rewarded her for the utter joy and serenity she brought to me and mine. Even in the throes of her illness, she never complained. She was stoic in the way cats are, in the way she shouldn't have had to be. Every vet and vet tech fell in love with her. She was simply pure, unadulterated love. I can only hope that the beacon of sweetness that was Lexi on this earth, earned her a bounty of kitty happiness, somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge. She is deeply missed and will always be our Forever Cat.