Tribute

I thought that the defining moment of this summer would be the Lighthouse Family Retreat (more about that in the next post). But, I didn't know that we would lose a member of our family; I had no idea that Bash wouldn't be here at the end of the summer. When Adam and I left for the Lighthouse on July 8, Bash seemed fine; moving a little slower, eating less, but playing and purring like always. I planned to take him in for vaccinations and a checkup when when got back; if things had gone as planned, I'd probably be at the vet's with him right now. But instead, we finished up with Lighthouse on Saturday, July 14 and drove to Destin to meet up with Chuck. Sunday, Chuck's cell rang, and it was Karen, the pet-sitter who is also a vet tech. "Bash is breathing funny, and he hasn't eaten anything since yesterday. I think I should take him in and let Doc check him out." I was just hoping that he was missing us; Adam and I had been gone for a week, and Chuck for three days. But, instead, the vet called us a little while later. "Your kitty is very sick. He is in heart failure. I don't know if we can save him." I wasn't prepared for those words; Bash didn't seem sick at all when we last saw him. I was on the phone constantly with Karen from Sunday through Tuesday afternoon, when she said that Doc had given up hope of being able to keep Bash comfortable. So, Wednesday morning, I called the clinic, and Karen brought Bash to the phone so I could talk to my boy one last time. "Mommy loves you, good boy... I'm so sorry you feel bad." Bash had been crying constantly when Karen brought him to the phone, but he got quiet when he heard my voice. I told him I loved him and would see him again someday. And Karen held him while he took his last breaths.
Today I picked up his body at the vet clinic, cleared the bill, and we buried him next to Sadie and Mattie in the front woods. Bash was a wonderful cat and a good friend, and I know he's at the "rainbow bridge", chasing strings and watching til we're able to meet up again.