Kiki
December 1991 - May 25, 2001
Kiki came from a shelter that is also a college. I remember asking my mom for a cat so she contacted my aunt because she works there. My aunt told her that there was one cat left and since it's a college they close down in May for the summer, Kiki was due to be put to sleep two days after my mom called.
So my aunt brought Kiki to us. She was very shy and hid for three days under my bed, she only came out at night. My mom got tired of it and went under my bed and picked her up and held her, It took a little time but then her fears were gone.
Kiki was the craziest cat ever. When we first got her we had a dog we gave the dog away about a year later, then on Kiki was my only pet.) a small Pekingese, she would actually chase the dog, it was great. Since we had the dog as well, we had to put Kiki's food on the counter so the dog wouldn't eat it. One time Kiki jumped up on the counter for her food and didn't quite make it, the trash can was right beside it and she fell in!!!
Sometimes she would try to jump up into the kitchen window and would fall back down. But the strangest thing that happened was when we brought groceries home (and of course they were in plastic bags) and Kiki was playing in them; she got stuck in it and couldn't get it off, the handle was around her neck. We were panicking because we were afraid she would choke, she ran around the house faster than a cheetah. We finally caught her and got it off her.
Kiki was an outdoor cat, she liked to chase the birds and she would sit on my porch and hiss at the cats that came on "her territory". She also liked to sit on my neighbors couch that is located on her porch and lay around. But I think one of her favorite things was to sit on my neighbors porch underneath her bird feeder and chase her birds away, it was so funny! (the neighbor probably didn't think so! lol)
Like I said Kiki was an outdoor cat, and one day she became very sick. A couple of days before she was playing and eating and she seemed very happy, but all of the sudden she stopped eating and and drinking, she would lay around under the beds. I called the vet and brought her down immediately the next morning. I kept praying and praying, hoping for the best. I remember when she was in the carrying cage, she was watching all the cars and trucks go by, she had always been terrified of them, but she acted like it didn't bother her this time.
When I got her to the vet, he shaved her leg to take some blood, he had asked me if she was an outdoor cat, I said yes, he told me that isn't good because they can get aids or other diseases. he told me he was going to take a blood test to see if she had leukemia or aids. He came back with her results and said her heart and brain were fine, but some of her organs weren't even showing up. I asked if there was anything he could do for her, he said no, right at that moment I felt as if my heart was breaking and my spirit had died, I was in shock.
The vet told me possibly that she had consumed some antifreeze, I burst into tears, I couldn't believe my best friend was laying there dying and there wasn't a thing in the world I could do. The antifreeze was eating her insides away. he told me that sometimes animals drink it because it's sweet.
So I had to make the painful decision of putting her to sleep, the vet asked me if I wanted to take her home to say goodbye, but I just couldn't; I couldn't make her suffer with all the traveling to go home and then return to the vet hospital, so I said goodbye right there, I told her how much I loved her and I how sorry I was and I thanked her for being my friend. They couldn't put her to sleep that day because I had to discuss it with my mom first so that meant going home first. All the way home I kept getting madder and madder at God, I kept saying "Why wont you save her, it's not fair!!"
When I got home I kept thinking about the time Kiki had something seriously wrong with her paw, it was about a year ago, and we couldn't afford to take her to the vet. I kept begging God to heal her and that I would do anything, a few days later her paw was clean and there wasn't any blood on it anymore also she stopped limping. I was so happy. So the more I thought about it I started to apologize to God, after all he did give me more time with her.
I knew I had to have her put to sleep, but I didn't want to, but I figured she gave me so much love, it was the unselfish thing to do, I did not want her to suffer any longer. Late that night I prayed and said "God, if it's really Kiki's time and your not going to let her live, then please take her now, I don't want her to suffer anymore, it's not fair to her or me, but especially her. I just ask a couple of things, please let her get it to Heaven without any trouble and please let her come to visit me, I'll be waiting and hoping that she leaves a sign to let me know that she's here."
The way I like to look at this tragedy is Kiki actually escaped death twice, the first time was when she was due to be put to sleep and the second was when her paw healed and she didn't die from any infections.
It still is very hard, I miss her tripping me for food and watching my mom almost fall from trying to avoid stepping on her. I miss her craziness and the way her purr sounded, I miss her waiting for us at the door or rolling in my driveway (like a dog does) when she spotted us on the sidewalk. And I really miss having to wait my turn to use the bathroom (it's not what you think, she wasn't toilet trained, she just drank out of the toilet.) I really miss my furry friend!
"Kiki, you made my days brighter and my life a little less lonely, You were the best thing that happened to me, I only hope that you were happy with us, And one day I will see you again. I will never forget you, never!"