Yoda

In October of 2000 I found a gray kitten on some back county road outside of Lawrence, Kansas.  I took him home that night and borrowed some cat food from my apartment neighbors.  I thought he looked wise so I named him Yoda.  He ate so much food that I figured someone must have dumped him and left him behind.  This was the beginning of twelve wonderful years together.

Yoda and I moved from Lawrence to the Kansas City suburbs; living in many a different apartment.  Sometimes he was all I had for a friend.  Sometimes I could barely afford food for myself yet I always made sure he had plenty of good stuff to eat.  He was always there for me, always listening and cuddling with me.  He’d be there the minute I got home from work, demanding food because he could see one empty spot in his bowl.  He was there as I worked on needlework at night.  He was there next to me as I slept at night.

We gained friends along the way; another cat named Duncan and two dogs, Frankie and Lucky.  In 2008 I married Ian and though he was extremely upset with Ian for a long time (man of the house business) he eventually warmed up.  In 2009 we all piled into two cars and moved from Kansas to Colorado.  In 2011 our son, Parker, was born and after initially being unsure as to how Yoda would receive a baby I was surprised to find that he was the most welcoming of all four animals.  At this point he was starting to slow down but we assumed it was all due to old age.  Then he suddenly got really sick in April of this year.  After a vet check it was confirmed that his kidneys were failing.  He was on IV fluids at the vet’s office for two and a half days.  We learned how to insert a needle to do subcutaneous fluids at home.  We put him on a special diet.  He seemed to perk up a bit but we just didn’t know how long it would last.  Almost exactly one month later he stopped eating again and lost even more weight.  His eyes seemed vacant.  Although I didn’t want to admit it, I knew it was time to let him go.  I called Home to Heaven on a Tuesday and made an appointment for the following Thursday.  Yoda spent the next two days curled up on me almost constantly.  I tried giving him all sorts of food, willing him to eat something but it didn’t work.  I’d like to think for those last few days he was telling me it was okay to let him go. 

On Thursday, May 17th Dr. Boal came to our house so we could say goodbye in the comfort of our living room.  Yoda was surrounded with love and I got to hold him while the shots were given to him.  I can’t say enough good words about the Home to Heaven.  Dr. Boal was wonderful, giving me plenty of time to say goodbye and talking to me about everything.  It felt like the worst decision I’ve ever made but I’m glad to know Yoda isn’t hurting now. 

I miss him a lot.  Little things like breakfast time, taking a shower without him trying to sneak into the tub and folding warm laundry without him jumping into the clean clothes remind me daily of the missing piece of my heart.  This will never go away. 

We had a great twelve years my friend.  Thank you for it all.