And Then There Were None

Princess left the planet sometime Sunday/Monday. I have no cats, now.

I've lost 4 cats in the past two years. I've also lost 3 people in my life, and a few other things that mattered to me. It's been 2 years of non-stop grief.

Back to Princess...
I'd taken her to a friend's house to spend my vacation with some noise and company, as she was the only cat left, and this is the first time I've gone out of town since she's been alone. And I'm gone for ten days. I didn't want her to be lonely. She seemed to be settling in OK and adjusting for the nonce. I'd included my favorite couch blanket that she and I shared, so she would have my smells. She had litter box, all her favorite foods, and two favorite toys.

Monday, just as I was packing the car to leave for my transport, I got a call from my friend that she'd passed. She appeared to have been looking out the window and either had a stroke or seizure. She was in the middle of the floor, spread out and gone.

I usually have a sense when a cat leaves. In this instance, I didn't have anything. No "goodbye," "I'm leaving" or anything. I didn't sleep well because I never do. All day, while traveling, I wanted to roll up into a little ball and cry.

I got here, at my destination, and shared on Facebook, with a couple friends and so on. It seemed to be the thing to do.

I'm so grateful my friend was able to care for Princess' remains. I couldn't. I didn't have time.

I know that when everything leaves, there is a reason. I don't know what the next stage will bring, but it hurts to move away from the familiar. It hurts to let go.

I've decided that I'll clean all the cat hair out of the apartment, and go through the cat toys. There are some I can toss, others I can pass on to some cat owners I know. I have an entire box of cat stuff - salmon oil and such, that I can toss. I need a good housecleaning there. So, now is a good time.

Come February, I will look for another cat. I'll be in a position to know if I'm staying where I'm living or if I'll be moving again.

I don't know if my next cat will be a grown cat, rescue, kitten, or even a dog. I have no idea. That's then and this is now. I hope for a cat because cats are my favorites, but a dog would be good for exercise. I had a cat and a dog once, and the cat would walk the dog with me. He was a hoot!

Goodbye, my Princess. You are already missed. It will sink in how much when I return home next week and you aren't there to greet me. I'll really cry at the loneliness, then....

And Then There Was One

I lost Queenie this morning. She had liver cancer that was killing her. There was nothing the vets could do for her, so it was time to let her go.

She started to suffer last night. It was time.

This was Queenie....

I'm sad that she's gone. She was Beasley's favorite kitty and as prickley as she was, she was a lover, too. She always wanted to be the top cat in the house. She got to feel that way in her last few weeks. 

I'm still owned by one cat, Princess....

Princess is 17 years old. Seems to be in good health, so I hope she will stay with me for a while, yet. She's looking for Queenie every time she comes into the living room.

My heart can't take any more loss right now. It's breaking. 

Princess Waking Me Up!

Princess kept waking me up last night. I got up about 4am to go to the bathroom, a nightly occurance, but she insisted on waking me up every 45 minutes after that.

She wanted cuddles and snuggles. She's very insistent, but she can't just lay there and snuggle quietly - she needs my hands on her. She nudges and nibbles.

I'm about to lock her out of the bedroom at night. That means I'll have to put a litter box on the bathroom for the ones who get trapped with me overnight. I hope Beasley doesn't have a fit....

I haven't talked about the "kids" lately...

Beasley got stepped on this morning. I stepped back while washing the dishes (no, I don't have a dishwasher - totally superfluous for one person!) and stepped squarely on his tail. He yelped, and I let up enough for him to take off like a shot. He was spitting out hair he'd nipped off, while bathing and laying behind me in the kitchen. Poor baby! I picked him up and apologized profusely!

He's much better. Overall, this is a true rarity.

------

Their behavior since Queenie took over as alpha, is really different. Queenie is a heavy-handed alpha cat. She lords it over everyone - even me - that she is now the true queen. Man, what a big head!

She picks on everyone, even Beasley. She used to tease him, but now she chases him. I've seen one positive, though. Fluffy is now engaging in the chasing games that she used to ignore. She would ignore everyone and everything, just going about her merry way. Now, she's involved.

Princess, my dethroned lady, is very insistent on snuggles all day now. She still won't come to sit next to me on the chair, but she is very snuggly all the same. Kissing is still part of the package, too. Very hard nips, along the hands, fore-arms and on my wrists.

Bugsy is less an instigator and more disobedient. She's not getting into fights like she did, but she still is bearing the brunt of the "discipline" by the others. She has taken to snuggling in the chair, in the most unlikely positions! She just wants to be held and cuddled. A stroke will cause her for flatten her ears - and I'm not sure if she's doing that out of fear of being hit (she's never been hit) or if she's making room for my hand. I make sure she gets a snuggle session as often as she asks for it. She pops up at least once a day.

Queenie keeps picking on Beasley. He'll be sleeping quietly on the cat-chair, and she will jump up and kick him off the chair. She will sit there about 15 minutes, then leave. Meanwhile, Beasley's sleep has been disturbed for no real reason.

She is also hogging the back of my chair, which used to be Beasley's refuge and his place to be close to me. I don't pet her like I do him while she's up there. But she won't back off.

This little cocoa colored tyrant needs to be brought down a peg!

Change in Pecking Order

Well, Miss Princess is no longer my alpha cat...

I've been noticing that she is losing weight. Not enough to be really in a health crisis, but she is losing weight. Her fur is good, she is not dehydrated, and she seems healthy. She is snuggly, but still does not want to be picked up or held.

I was playing with the cats in the living room yesterday for the first time since we moved. They've had toys out, but I actually got out DaBird and played with them.

I noticed that each time Queenie would show up, Princess would cringe and cower to the ground. That tells me that something happened - probably just before we moved - and that Queenie is now the alpha.

Queenie has become "kissy kitty" and will get up on the arm of the chair when I'm sitting in it and "kiss me" repeatedly - nudging her nose/muzzle on my chin or nose - or even mouth!

These two behaviors, combined, tell me that the pecking order has changed. Princess is still a beautiful baby, and she knows I love her, but she is no longer telling me what to do.

She comes and asks, she snuggles, and will do the "hit-and-run" snuggle. But she stopped doing the prolonged "getting up on the arm of my chair" when I'm working late. She used to really demand that I quit and pay attention to her. She's not doing that any more.