Grey the Cat

From the wooded area off the side of the road near the Canadian border in New Hampshire, I heard a cat meowing, it sounded scared. So I called it, the way I would any cat, and out of the woods ran a tiny gray kitten - straight into my arms. She had a a big gash across the top of her head and what looked like 'road burn' abrasions on her nose and above her mouth on one side. She was very small, quite young, and looked like she hadn't eaten in a while.
She was very sweet and totally adorable. I tended her wounds, named her Grey and brought her home. I had another kitten, about 6 months old, named Kylie, and the two kitties immediately became best friends. Kylie cleaned Grey's wounds every day and they healed quickly without even leaving a scar. The two cats played together and slept cuddled together in a little ball on my bed every night. My dog Maggie had treated Kylie as her own when I first got her, and she also did the same with Grey, carrying her in her mouth as if she were Maggie's pup and letting the kittens curl up on her front paws under Maggie's chin for naps. Everybody loved Grey, and Grey loved everybody. The year was 1998.

The kindness that Grey learned from the other pets became the strongest characteristic of her personality. In 2000, when my husband brought home Tippy, a little stray tuxedo kitten he'd found, Grey (and Kylie) immediately adopted her and the three kitties would sleep together all cuddled up in a huggy furry pile of cuteness. Over the years, every stray that my husband brought home, whether cat or dog, young or old, docile or feral and crazy, Grey welcomed with love and affection. She never growled, hissed, or scratched at anybody, and even my most ill tempered pets who appeared to hate almost everybody, loved Grey.

Over the years, as other pets crossed the Rainbow Bridge, Grey would be there, holding vigil over them, and kissing their heads to comfort them. When Tippy passed away this past June, it really hit Grey hard, she had always appeared kitten-like, but suddenly she aged very quickly. Grey was a happy fat cat, always purring, and her plumpness earned her the nickname "Blimpy". Grey started to lose weight after Tippy died, and it accelerated over the past 2 weeks. She became very thin and a few days ago, very tired. Yesterday I found her resting in the exact spot where she watched Tippy pass. Grey likes boxes, so I gave her a little box to curl up in. I carried her downstairs to eat with the other cats last night & then after supper, she sat on my chest in my bed for about an hour, purring happily, while the kids pet her. When it was time to put the kids to bed, I helped Grey into the little box she wanted to rest in. The other pets took turns going into the bathroom to check on her & kiss her as she rested. As I said, Grey was well loved by everybody.

At 5:30 this morning, my husband woke me and told me that Grey had passed. She was still in her little box and appears to have gone peacefully in her sleep. She was a very good cat, a truly special little soul, and she will be sorely missed.

Rest In Peace, Grey, Mommy will always love you.

I am not looking forward to telling the kids.

This post is linked at Blazing Cat Fur. Thank you, BCF. 

This post has been reblogged at Sally and Sam. Thank you, Thomas.  

This post is linked at Whatever.com. Thank you, Osumashi.  

This post has been reblogged at lgstarr. Thank you, lgstarr. 

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