Dear Denise, Patti, Jim and Dee Dee,
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I have lost other furbabies in the past and how I wish that I had known of a site such as this one then. Your support and kind thoughts truly help through the complex process of grieving. The pain is still intense but realizing that many others are experiencing the same feelings makes me feel part of a very close family. A family that stands up for each other and more importantly TRULY understands what each member is going through. Today my memories of Miss Mew were not of her last moments on this earth but rather of her whole happy life history. My husband and I live by a lake in Quebec and this is truly a paradise for animals and humans. Our Sheppherd Mik has never been tied up and our cats have always been allowed access to the outdoors. The mouse population of Grand Lake is not mourning the passing of The Mew. Only a month ago I heard the tell tale meow of this 21 year old hunter. How strange is this, I used to mourn every little mouse that she caught , even managed to save and release quite a few, but could never bring myself to confine her to the indoors. I feel that our lifestyle contributed to her longevity. On Thursday, the day before she died, she spent the entire day outside. I was sure that she had gone to die on her own, however she returned late that afternoon. She needed that last day in the sunshine and fresh air but knowing how worried we were, in a last unselfish gesture she returned to comfort us and permit me to be there when she passed. How fortunate we were to share in her life , she taught us some invaluable lessons on living and loving. For those of you not familiar with the following, I hope it brings a smile-

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook it when your loved ones take it out on you when, no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor and sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, religion, or politics,
Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your pet.

Thank you Miss Mew.

I'm glad you found comfort here. You are "family" now and I hope you will continue to come here and post how you're doing. You can post as many times as you need to and we're always here to listen.

__Jim

Hi Nicole:

As Jim stated, "You are family now"..............
And, it is very true....
Welcome!!

My dad's family hails from Quebec, Moncton, New Brunswick..........
Beautiful Country.....

God Bless Sweet Miss Mew......Twenty One beautiful years...
Spending the day before outside in the nice fresh air & beautiful sunshine...

Returning to comfort you and yours.....Miss Mew wanted to come home to those who loved
her very, very much; to family whom she was fortunate to spend her life with....

Our furbabies are sooooooooooo wonderful!!!
Thanks!

God Bless you!
Love, Denise

Nicole, your whole post brought a smile! How wonderful that Miss Mew could even hunt during those advanced years! I loved the essay too--it is all so true!
I spent most of my life not knowing how special it is to have a cat! Now that I know I can barely believe that at one time I felt nothing for them!
Miss Mew's magical qualities transcend life and death..of that I am sure!
I am so glad you had one another!

Love to you (and Miss Mew! and all yours)
Patti

That Miss Mew -- she was really something! A 21-year old mouse hunter! She sounds like an amazing little girl, all 4 pounds of her.

And how brave and sweet of Miss Mew. I too believe she knew and wanted you to be able to say goodbye and she wanted you to know all the love she had for you. You do know it, and I am very glad of that. Miss Mew surely had a wonderful life with you and your husband and your other animal children. Twenty-one years, such a long time to have shared all that love. I know how much her going hurts, and I am sorry you have to go through this.

I've heard that poem. I like it a lot. Thanks for posting it. Take care of yourselves.
Love,
Marcia