Death or Passing |
June 6, 2016
A few weeks ago my beautiful grey longhaired cat that I named Earl Grey was hit by a car and died. He was such a funny cat. He was very particular about who he chose to sit on, usually only me. He also chose to wander a lot since we moved to the Stony Plain area.
When my son was in kindergarten I chose Earl from my friend’s batch of kittens. I chose him because he was the most easy-going. He didn’t run away when I went to catch a kitten. He just stood there and waited for me to pick him up while all the rest of the kittens ran and hid. After I caught him I would take him inside our home and my son, after a hard day at kindergarten would cuddle with Earl. Earl always fell asleep on our couch. He was so content to just lie around.
Later when he became an adult he was strictly an outdoor cat. He loved to hunt and hide in the bushes. He would watch us walk by while he hid behind a fence or bush. It was funny because I always saw him. He would stare at us while we walked by but he never followed us on our walks.
For the first four years of his life he was always outside. My husband was allergic to cats. When I first met Ralph I didn’t believe he was allergic to cats until I saw his allergy in action. After his eyes almost swelled shut and his throat began to close up I believed him so while he was alive we never had cats in our house.
After my husband died in 2013 I brought Earl into the house at night. He sat on my lap and gave me the comfort I so badly needed. He knew how sad I was as I sat in my chair in front of the wood stove. He was never noisy or annoying. He was just quiet, kind and loving. During the day he would go outside but would come in at night to keep me company. I cry as I type this because I miss him and his quiet loving presence so much.
The day I found him on the side of the road my son and I decided to take the road south and west of Stony Plain back to our home. As I drove by the fence just west of our house, right by our pasture, I saw a grey bundle of fur on the side of the road. I knew it was my beautiful grey cat. I stopped my car and checked. It was Earl. I went home to get a bag to put his body in. Earl's body was stiff and his neck was broken. Earl had been hit by a car when he was crossing the road.
I knew that Earl was not happy at our present home. Shortly after we moved to this home we found some kittens under the deck. We decided to keep three of them and gave two to my oldest sister. After the kittens arrived, Earl was not pleased. He stayed away for longer and longer periods of time. One time he disappeared for about three weeks and returned on the morning of Halloween. During the time he was absent I communicated with him. He told me he’d been shut in a house but would make a run for it when they opened the door and when they least expected him to run. They hold me too much he said. He was not happy about the capture and less happy about them constantly handling him. During this time I told him that he always had a home with us if he chose to have it.
That night as I prepared to bury Earl on our acreage property, I wrapped him in a pet blanket that had paw prints all over it, I cradled him in our arms and cried. When I shut my eyes I could see in my mind’s eye my late husband Ralph had received him and was holding Earl in his arms. Earl was safe and in the spirit world now. It calmed me somewhat but I couldn’t help think that if Earl had been happy he would have stayed closer to home. He was gone now and told me that he didn’t know if and when he was coming back.
My Earl kitty was so special to me. He will be deeply missed. Maybe one day he will return to me. Our pets often return to us in one life or another. Like us, they reincarnate so they can be with us. This is why we seem to be drawn to them. They belong to us but we also belong to them. Even if he doesn’t return I will always have a very special place in my heart for him. I am very grateful that he was with us for as long as he was.
A few weeks ago my beautiful grey longhaired cat that I named Earl Grey was hit by a car and died. He was such a funny cat. He was very particular about who he chose to sit on, usually only me. He also chose to wander a lot since we moved to the Stony Plain area.
When my son was in kindergarten I chose Earl from my friend’s batch of kittens. I chose him because he was the most easy-going. He didn’t run away when I went to catch a kitten. He just stood there and waited for me to pick him up while all the rest of the kittens ran and hid. After I caught him I would take him inside our home and my son, after a hard day at kindergarten would cuddle with Earl. Earl always fell asleep on our couch. He was so content to just lie around.
Later when he became an adult he was strictly an outdoor cat. He loved to hunt and hide in the bushes. He would watch us walk by while he hid behind a fence or bush. It was funny because I always saw him. He would stare at us while we walked by but he never followed us on our walks.
For the first four years of his life he was always outside. My husband was allergic to cats. When I first met Ralph I didn’t believe he was allergic to cats until I saw his allergy in action. After his eyes almost swelled shut and his throat began to close up I believed him so while he was alive we never had cats in our house.
After my husband died in 2013 I brought Earl into the house at night. He sat on my lap and gave me the comfort I so badly needed. He knew how sad I was as I sat in my chair in front of the wood stove. He was never noisy or annoying. He was just quiet, kind and loving. During the day he would go outside but would come in at night to keep me company. I cry as I type this because I miss him and his quiet loving presence so much.
The day I found him on the side of the road my son and I decided to take the road south and west of Stony Plain back to our home. As I drove by the fence just west of our house, right by our pasture, I saw a grey bundle of fur on the side of the road. I knew it was my beautiful grey cat. I stopped my car and checked. It was Earl. I went home to get a bag to put his body in. Earl's body was stiff and his neck was broken. Earl had been hit by a car when he was crossing the road.
I knew that Earl was not happy at our present home. Shortly after we moved to this home we found some kittens under the deck. We decided to keep three of them and gave two to my oldest sister. After the kittens arrived, Earl was not pleased. He stayed away for longer and longer periods of time. One time he disappeared for about three weeks and returned on the morning of Halloween. During the time he was absent I communicated with him. He told me he’d been shut in a house but would make a run for it when they opened the door and when they least expected him to run. They hold me too much he said. He was not happy about the capture and less happy about them constantly handling him. During this time I told him that he always had a home with us if he chose to have it.
That night as I prepared to bury Earl on our acreage property, I wrapped him in a pet blanket that had paw prints all over it, I cradled him in our arms and cried. When I shut my eyes I could see in my mind’s eye my late husband Ralph had received him and was holding Earl in his arms. Earl was safe and in the spirit world now. It calmed me somewhat but I couldn’t help think that if Earl had been happy he would have stayed closer to home. He was gone now and told me that he didn’t know if and when he was coming back.
My Earl kitty was so special to me. He will be deeply missed. Maybe one day he will return to me. Our pets often return to us in one life or another. Like us, they reincarnate so they can be with us. This is why we seem to be drawn to them. They belong to us but we also belong to them. Even if he doesn’t return I will always have a very special place in my heart for him. I am very grateful that he was with us for as long as he was.