The day was too much for him - restless, crying out at times due to pain...
Finally just after 3pm, I awoke to a disheartening thump and cry.
He was lying twisted on the walkway heading to my bathroom, panting.
I cradled his head in my right hand and soothed him,
"It's okay, Dede, you can go on to Heaven."
"It's time for you to go and find Mags and Sammy and those brothers of yours".
"And wait for me honey - I'll be there soon, okay?"
I barely got the words out before he took his final breath.
He was gone.
I untwisted his thin, long body, brushing his beautiful striped fur with my hand.
And then I got my mum's stethoscope to make sure his heart wasn't still beating.
His left eye looked glazed already.
And his pupils were fixed - his was still as, well death.
His only evacuation had been a little dribble from his mouth
because he had used his litter, like a gentleman, a bit earlier.
I caressed his dear ears and noticed his tail had blown up as if he was in fight mode.
A type of distress.
My poor baby.
I had raised him from about 5 weeks old or so til he was here - almost eleven years.
He dined on milk from an eyedropper, along with his three brothers;
Huckleberry, Sawyer, and Siegfried. They had been found in a neighbors pile of backyard junk - abandoned by their mama. And Monday was the last to be caught that weekend, starting from Friday, Saturday and finishing up on - you got it!
Not knowing if they even had eyes because their sockets were so enflamed with pus and goo -
I cleaned them one by one, after hearing the first one - Siegfried, whom I refer to even today as 'Head'.
Sig is the only one of the bunch left - the only remaining survivor now.
Sawyer and Huckleberry have long since passed away - not sure of what exactly, when they were each 3 years old.
And now Monday is gone - from a broken heart most likely.
His hero, Jack left and found a new woman and animals. And I firmly believe somehow Monday, being so extremely sensitive, knew he was never coming back, so he just gave up.
But I will miss his sassiness and his climbing up any unattended ladder he found. I'll miss his figure eights around my legs when I was in the kitchen - driving me nuts! And his demanding cries any time I closed my door, to let him in my room. I'll even miss his itchy whiskers on my nose when I was trying to sleep.
And try not to cry myself to sleep from missing him too much.
Love you Monday, my friend, my Dede!
