Tabitha...

In the middle of this awful situation our world and country are in, the universe decided to kick me right in the gut.

I've lost my other sweet girl.  I lost her sister NYE of 18/19 and this morning I lost my Tabitha.

I shared the story of the girls coming into my life on the blog I wrote for Tweaks so you can read that there.

Tomorrow would have been their 13th Birthday.

I'm absolutely heartbroken.

Tabitha was very different than her sister.  When Tweaks was around Tweaks was definitely the alpha but when I lost her Tabitha came into her own.  They were so teeny when I brought them home.  She wasn't as brave as her sister when it came to exploring but the 1st thing she found was my wine stash.

Wino

She grew into such a beautiful girl.  Sleek.  Black.  And I mean black.  Like not an ounce of color on her.  She looked straight off the Sheba Cat label.  My friend used to call her the Beautiful One.  And she knew it.

She loved to perch.  If I was in a chair she wanted to be behind and above me.

Always looking over my shoulder

She was a huge fan of the sunshine.  If there was a sunny spot she was in it.  Hot days - she didn't care - she basked in it.

She also loved to be in odd positions.  She'd roll around on her back and twist and turn.  I could scratch her tummy but strategically.  I was the only one she'd allow to do that.  She loved her kitty yoga.

She would roll facing the wall and attack it

She was also a fan of tubs.  She loved to hop into the tub or shower after I was done and paw around and drink the water.

She was my little burrower.  She would burrow under everything.  She loved to be snug as a bug in a rug.  At night she would gently paw at my face when she was ready to burrow under the covers to sleep.  It was like my own personal little heater.

When I moved in with my boyfriend I was having so much anxiety about how she was going to respond.  She adapted brilliantly and loved it.  She pretty much stayed upstairs but would come explore downstairs once in a while.

Enjoying the view

Demanding pets

She was my little queen.  She was spoiled and ruled the roost.

She loved to play.  She would do what I like to call the cat ballet when they grab toys and fling them up in the air in crazy dance moves.  She was a talker.  She would scream at you if you weren't paying attention to her or she was hungry.  She loved lunchmeat.  She used to spring straight up into the air from a sleeping or sitting position just because.  Sometimes I thought she was on drugs.  She was always the sketchier of the two and a bit of a scaredy cat but  she seemed to get brave after we lost her sister.

We had many naps together

She slept with me every night.  Curled up against me under the covers.  She didn't like to be held but she loved to sit in my lap or sit up against me.

She was your typical cat - loved to sleep, play, purr and eat.  But she did it with flair because she was a princess.

Last week she seemed to lose her appetite.  I took her in immediately and tests looked good.  She went back in for an ultrasound and that's when I was given the devastating news.  She had a tumor and it had spread.  There was no cure.  They could remove it but it would only buy her a little time since it had already spread.  They sent me home with a steroid to try to get her eating, it had been a week.  She just deteriorated and wasn't my happy girl anymore.  I could tell she was so uncomfortable and wanted to eat but couldn't.  I made the heartbreaking decision this morning.  Since we're in this fucking COVID-19 world they can't do housecalls.  So Pat drove me to the vet and my dear friend Susan met me there.  She's a vet tech and had been advising me all week.  She went into the room with me and held me why I fell apart saying goodbye to my girl.  For the 1st time I didn't mind working from home so I was able to be with her so much more.

Our last night together

The last picture of my sweet girl

My girls were my babies.  I loved them so very much.  They both have been through so much with me, but Tabitha even more - making the big move in with the boyfriend and kiddo and a dog.  My heart is breaking but I'm so thankful for the support around me and the time I had with her.  We love them so hard and their time with us is just too short.  Rest in Purrs my sweet sweet girl.