Thursday, July 14, 2011

Finding Her Best Light


Happy 19th Birthday, Miss Chloe!!!!! Posted by Picasa

"I don't believe in aging. I believe in forever altering ones aspect to the sun." ~ Virginia Woolf
The years pass so quickly and old age sneaks up on all of us; it seems like only yesterday we were starting out in school or our profession or having a child, or seeing a tiny Siamese kitten for the first time. She was the first born of a litter of six and has always played the part well. Miss Clover was "the dark one"; instead of being born white and developing the Siamese mask and tips, she arrived a medium to dark tan and simply grew darker as she aged, with the most marbled deep blue eyes. Clover was always angry at something. Chloe has always been calm and cool and collected, with a passion for grooming and making sure her sitting position is just so... front paws tightly together and tail wrapped neatly around to the front. Nothing bothers her (except for that one time at the vet when Clover threw such a hissy fit, they both got caught up in the drama) and she carries herself with dignity and reserve. This does not mean that she will take any guff off of the other cats. Chloe is now the Grand Dame of the household and commands the respect of ALL the cats... even those bossy ragdolls.

Her sister, Miss Clover, passed away almost three years ago and while Clover was ill and blind, Chloe showed her the way to the food and patiently waited for her to eat first. She groomed and curled up with her, even when Clover was cantankerous and in a foul mood. After Clover's death, Miss Chloe simply returned to the group of cats and her role as eldest diva.

Now, Miss Chloe is 19. She has aged a lot these last three years. Her dark facial mask is fading with rounded circles of light tan above her eyes. She still longs to be perfectly groomed, but does not have the energy for all the effort, nor her sister for cleaning her ears. She battles with kidney failure and refuses to eat the special diet, but she looks forward to her Fancy Feast each day and is holding her own with her weight even though she is very thin. Her eyesight is starting to go, but her hearing is acute. Arthritis has made her gait stiff and her front legs are slightly misshapen by age. She has her favorite bean bag sleeper and still enjoys snuggling with a catnip toy. Most of all, she loves to sleep... or, as here... sit in the sun.

I don't know how many more years.... or months... she has. I'm sure she will continue to live her life with the dignity she has always had and will let me know in her own way, when it is time. Until then, she will soak in all the sun she wants and eat all the Fancy Feast she wants and strike fear into the hearts of all the other cats...
what was that? Did I see a slight twinkle in that eye as she stares down Nicky? I do believe I did!

Happy Birthday Miss Chloe!

(end of post)
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21 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a wonderful and touching tribute! I loved reading her story, and a gorgeous picture, so artistic.

Patricia W Hunter said...

Miss Chloe, "the eldest diva" - love it! I've noticed that it's only our female cats that sit like that - straight and proper like statues. The male just plops himself down.  Love cats. I really do. 

Peruby Peruby said...

Very nice. May she have many more years with you.

Beverly said...

What a lovely tribute to Miss Chloe.  She has had a good life with you, and I know the rest of her days will be, as well.  It is hard to see them age and become frail. 

Abby said...

Miss Chloe is such a beauty and such a regal grand dame.
Wishing her a very happy 19th birthday.
It all does go too fast.
IT was so good to see a post on Chloe. We always love seeing your kitties and we miss seeing Mr Rhett.
purrs>^,,^<♥Abby♥

Credman said...

That's the hard part about having pets. We always outlive them.  I love the warmth of your photo. http://looseleafnotes.com

Imaginography said...

Many belated Happy Returns to Miss Chloe! My Bob was very much the same towards the end. He had kidney trouble but also was not keen on the special diet. I always figured that being such a great age he was entitled to something that he liked.

Wonderful photo. Love the rim of light and contrast :)

Hootin' Anni said...

What a blessing your furbaby was.  I just LOVE and ADORE cats.

The photo with the PURRfect lighting is just too good for words.

My C C Link  Hope you have a great weekend.

Sandyakessler said...

ahem the following cats Evigny mimue, Bitty Bopper, Darlin and Handsome would like to say HAPPY CELEBRATION OF LIFE WITH YOUR HUMANS!!!YOU AREBLESSED!!

Texwisgirl said...

what a beautiful and sweet kitty...  i hope she can continue to lend her light to your household for a while yet...  in comfort, of course...

Eileen3600 said...

Happy birthday to Ms. Chloe. She is a beauty!

Nonizamboni said...

What a touching tribute to Misses Chloe and Clover! Here's to many years of quality and happiness for Chloe. thanks for sharing!

jidhujose said...

nice shot 

Ramblingwoods said...

Oh the senior cats...we too have used Fancy Feast with our Jake who was 18 with kidney failure and with Miss Molly and her kidney problems.. They need to find a good tasting kidney diet...It does seem to pass so quickly, I can remember getting Oliver and Elliott as rescues and that was 9 years ago...here is too all the cats whom we have been lucky to share our lives with....

Sandra Hangey said...

this is truly her best light, and that is amazing that she is 19. i wish dogs lived that long, we only had almost 17 years with our max. beautiful beautiful photo

Paul Nichols said...

Wow! What a photo! Thank you.

Karen Townsend said...

Still a  beauty. I hope she enjoyed her day!

Kenju said...

I hope she lasts a long, long time, SRP - and with you caring for her - I suspect she will. How's your mom?

Sarah said...

Happiest of birthday's to Miss Chloe!!  She is quite the beauty.

Hindi SMS said...

awww .. what a color ful beauty ..
i want this cat

Sarah W said...

I must admit that I stop by here to see if you have come back at all... and today when I looked I realized that Miss Chloe would now be 20! If she is still with you, I would like to wish her a happy 20th birthday!  Think of you Roxanne, hoping you make it back to the blog world in the future.  Hope you are well.  Sarah