Tigger

She was a good cat, she was a cat of many names...Tigger, Squid Squat, Meow Face, Fur Face. She was also a bit of a recluse...Shy, didn't like people much, except the ones that she knew. My dad nicknamed her "Osama" because whenever they would come over she would run and hide in the basement.

I "inherited" her about seven years ago from my sister. They had rescued her from a shelter when they lived in Pennsylvania. After, they moved back to Minnesota for a few years and then my brother-in-law was transferred to Tokyo. They couldn't bring the cat, so they asked, and I agreed to take her.

At the time I was living in a small one bedroom, it was a converted attic apartment in an old house in downtown Excelsior. When she moved in, she hid in my closet for a week. Only coming out when I was asleep.

Gradually, I must of grew on her because when I would come home she would join me in the living room and sleep with me at night.

She used to love to sleep in the window right behind my bed. One day when I was walking up the outside stairs to enter my apartment I found her sitting at the door...I wondered how she got out! I went over to my bed and the screen had fallen out of the window. She fell THREE STORIES! Not only that, but she knew enough to climb the stairs to the front door...I was impressed, and decided that she must have used at least four of her nine lives on that one.

When we moved to our house in Minneapolis she wasn't much interested in going outside, and when we brought Lola home, she immediately packed her bags and moved to the basement where she had the whole place to herself and was content to hide and play on her own terms...much like any other cat!

And talk about stubborn! She was definately a cat of her own will, and a cat after my own heart! It took her about three years to finally accept the dog, and decide that Lola was worth her presence...They would hang out in the kitchen and beg for treats together...a real life "Mutt and Jeff!"

The last few months were the worse for Tigger, about two months ago, she started to go blind, and had an issue with her thyroid. I didn't want any sort of weird exploratory surgery, I just wanted her to live out her last days in peace. Which she did.

Yesterday we found her stuck in a corner of the basement, she had gotten twisted in some old computer equipment of Josh's. He picked her up and she wasn't able to stand anymore. We immediately brought her to the emergency vet. She fell asleep on Josh in the car...It was so peaceful.

We decided that it was best to let her go...She shouldn't have to live this way anymore. No more pain. If only eveyone could be so lucky.

We were there when the Doctor gave Tigger the shots to put her down. She was quiet and it was so wonderful to see that there was no pain. I petted her and and told her what a good kitty she was and she just "fell asleep." We both cried, a member of our family was gone, and that's not easy.

Next week I can pick up her ashes, and we plan on burying them in the spring when the ground has thawed under a day lily at my sister's cabin, where she can be near us as we gather for fun times at the lake.

I will miss her.