When I first went to Tim's apartment while we were dating, a little orange and white fluffball stretched out his paws on my leg to receive a head scratch. When we married and moved to our little bungalow overlooking Scott Creek I would find a little furry purring bundle on the end of our bed waiting to be patted. When we were standing in the Norfolk airport waiting for our flight to Italy to be called a little pink nose pushed out between the mesh of his carrier to be rubbed. Every summer we would load that same carrier in the back seat and attempt to soothe an anxious kitty as we prepared for the 10-15 hour trip to Maine.
Freddie has been through it all, 17 years worth of moving, bringing baby after baby home, always underfoot waiting for someone to give him attention and hiding under the bed when visitors came. While I am a cat person in general, Freddie is by far the most affectionate and sweet feline that has ever existed. He has never scratched or bit anyone and we have reciprocated by teaching each child in turn, "Must be nice to kitty. Give kitty a pat." He has been getting sicker and thinner in the past few months and it is time for us to say goodbye. But he is the only pet the children have ever known and so will stay in our memories and even in our family song.
Yes, we have a family song and I'll share it if you don't laugh:
I love you
You love me
Together we are family.
With a Mommy and a Daddy
And a Will, and a Mary, and a Maggie, and a Charlie, and a Timmy, and a Julia Ellen,
Don't forget Fat Freddie too,
Don't forget Fat Freddie too.
(tune is the Barney song)
5 comments:
Very cute. He sounds like a wonderful cat. I think our too feral felines would eat him for lunch :-)
Aww Kat! I am sorry that you are going to lose him soon. We lost our big fat O'Malley cat a couple of years ago. It is hard, they become such a part of our lives.
I like the song. Our family comes up with corny stuff like that, too. That you posted it here is very Laura Ingalls Wilder of you. She always wrote the songs they sang.
I'm not really a cat person, but your story touched my heart. I'm glad your kids will keep Freddie in their hearts with your family song.
17 years.
That is one loyal cat.
Ohhh, I know how hard it is to lose a little friend and member of the family. We had a sweet kitty that we lost a few years ago, too.
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