We started our school year again on Monday, but not until after the funeral. Our sweet little cat, Muffin fell sick last weekend and slowly slipped away late Sunday night. I was grateful to Muffin for holding on past Saturday, my oldest daughter's birthday. No one wants a family pet's death anniversary the same as your birthday no matter how old you get.
Unfortunately, Muffin was the victim of allergies early into her stay with us. She was not allergic, but rather the allergen for 75% of the household. When you have to balance breathing over the comfort of the cat, you quickly choose breathing and move the cat outdoors. I always felt a bit guilty over her homelessness, but she never seemed to mind. A friend showed up several years ago, affectionately known as Dash, to keep her company and all seemed right in the land of cats---our garage.
That was until last weekend. My husband came home from work on Friday to announce he didn't think one of the cats was doing too well. Indeed Muffin had laid herself underneath the grill being stored in the garage and was breathing slowly. She remained in that position all weekend even after we moved her to the grass and sunshine during the day on Saturday, then back to an old lawn cushion for comfort in the evening. She let us know early on that she was giving up and we needed to be ready to say, "Goodbye".
So school began on Monday with a beautiful outdoor graveside service in the back of our 2 acre lot. My husband graciously dug Muffin's grave and my 11 year old and I fashioned her coffin. My six year old gathered some flowers and we all shared happy memories of our dear sweet kitty with the tiniest meow you ever didn't hear. We will miss Muffin, but I am grateful that we all had the opportunity in the midst of this busy Fall season to gather together as a family and share our memories.
Comments
Oct. 1, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by kristenph
Aww, so sorry for your loss. One of my childhood cats was named Muffin. She lived 17-1/2 years!