I Lost One of the Best Parts of My Life this Week. She was the Sweetest Girl Ever...

One of the great loves of my life, my cat Boozie, died this week. It was so totally unexpected, I still can't believe it happened. I don't even know how it happened. I was out of town and my husband called me. He was crying so hard, I couldn't even understand what he was saying. We had two cats: Boozie and her daughter Sweetie. My husband arrived home from work late. He dashed in the house, put something inside and ran right back out to go to church. As he approached the house on his way back home, he noticed Sweetie acting strangely, standing by the gate. He got out and saw Boozie lying outside the gate, a little off from the house. I asked if she had gotten hit by a car, but he said it didn't appear so. There was no blood or any sign of trauma that he could see.

A little crowd had gathered and someone had laid two sticks across Boozie in the form of a cross. A neighbor said she hadn't noticed anything unusual happening. My husband put Sweetie in the house and buried Boozie in the backyard under a little shelter. He said he didn't want her to get wet. *tears*.

Boozie and I went through a lot together. In 2006, coincidentally, we both became deathly ill and almost died during the same time period, she with lymphoma and me with a virulent strain of bacteria that is associated with meningitis. I couldn't walk or barely move and Boozie was receiving chemo and had a feeding tube . We both lay in bed together, weak and wondering what was to become of us. But God is good and we both pulled through. I still have residual nerve damage and Boozie had to take her pills daily, but we were there for each other and moving forward. My doctor and her vet both said we were lucky to still be alive. I prefer to say we were both blessed.

I was truly surprised at how many people on my job cried when they found out. They've never met her in person, but they certainly know of her. Her picture is posted in my office and everyone knows of her adventures as a squirrel hunter, her love of rotisserie chicken and honey roasted turkey; how she knocks at the door when she wants to come in and her simple love and pleasure of just being near me as she rested and slept. My husband called her my shadow. She followed me everywhere.

Now Sweetie has lost her mother and I've lost a loving and loyal companion. We had Boozie for 12 years. Her first family moved and left her behind, then her next owner died. She had no home when we moved on the block and she made her way over to us. She finally found the love and care she so richly deserved. Life will be a little emptier now. This is a final tribute to her. We love you Boozie. You'll forever be in our hearts. Goodbye...