A Lucky Life -- Tribute to Miss Lucky Kitty
She had a lucky life. Well maybe not the first 4-ish years. The last 13 though weren't too shabby although I was really the lucky one after all.
Lucky
Her name was Lucky.Why? Because on a cold icy day in early January 2000 (the 11th actually) I found her in the middle of the road bleeding and cold ... she was lucky to be alive.
I was on my way to meet with a client about a web site. Driving along in the ice and snow down Route 66 going through one small town after another. I passed a vet's office and made a mental note of "how nice" and continued on my way. Not more then 10 minutes later I spied a lump of white and gray in the center of the road. An on coming car passed and the lump flinched. I spun about and dashed back. The lump was a long haired white, gray and tan calico cat. She was bleeding from the face. There were no houses nearby, just fields so no indication of where she had come from. I scooped her up and flew back to the vet's office, saying a quick prayer to St Francis on the way. On the way I called the client to tell him I would be late.
I was on my way to meet with a client about a web site. Driving along in the ice and snow down Route 66 going through one small town after another. I passed a vet's office and made a mental note of "how nice" and continued on my way. Not more then 10 minutes later I spied a lump of white and gray in the center of the road. An on coming car passed and the lump flinched. I spun about and dashed back. The lump was a long haired white, gray and tan calico cat. She was bleeding from the face. There were no houses nearby, just fields so no indication of where she had come from. I scooped her up and flew back to the vet's office, saying a quick prayer to St Francis on the way. On the way I called the client to tell him I would be late.
The vet was open and they seemed surprised when I brought her in and insisted that they do something. I dropped her off, told them to call me (thank God I had recently gotten a cell phone!) with the info of whether they could "fix" her or if it would be best to put her down. I gave them some money to show I was serious and went to my meeting. They called as I was finishing up. She was in bad shape but they could get her patched up with some not too extensive surgery. I stopped back at the vet's office after my meeting and made arrangements for her care. She had been clipped in the face by the car but had no serious internal injuries, mostly a lot of bruising. Her nose was broken, she had bitten off part of her tongue, lost most of the teeth on one side between the car hit and the surgery, was very malnourished, a bit hyperthermic and dehydrated. She ended up up staying at the vet's for two weeks. And $400 later I had another cat with a long road ahead of her.
Now Lucky had clearly never been in a house before. Everything was new and scary. She spent most of the first month under the futon frame in the spare room. I would lay on the floor and talk to her. To get her to eat I fed her fingers full of canned food ... literally with my fingers. After about month she would come out to meet me but I still couldn't touch her. Another month and she had put on the right amount of weight, her wounds had healed and she began to venture out to meet the other cats but still stayed in her own room when I wasn't home and at night. Interestingly, none of the others had any problems accepting her.
From there she learned about open widows, sitting on a lap, and other things kitties who have grown up with humans take for granted. It was years before she wouldn't jump when the TV turned on "by magic". And a trip to the vet was always an occasion for shrieking panic. But other than screaming on the way to the vet she never spoke. Not until the last year of her life after she had gone deaf. She loved to be brushed but never to be picked up or carried. The look on her face when she was introduced to being brushed was priceless. Her eyes got big. Her whiskers cocked forward. Her ears flicked back, then front then she just went limp and the purring was the loudest she'd ever emitted, she was in heaven.
Lucky's role in the family was simple: peacemaker and mom.
Spats between other kitties were resolved by rushing from wherever she had been to physically put herself between the combatants, she would give them the "mama eye" until they backed off and then would groom first one then the other on the top of their heads. You could almost hear her say out loud: "now you two play nice". When the Incredible Mr Pouncequick became ill with liver disease she mothered him. She groomed him, cuddled with him to keep him warm and mourned him when he left us. When I wasn't feeling well or was upset she was right there to groom me, purr and snuggle. She slept as close to on the top of my head as she could get and licked my nose when she thought it was time for me to get up. She bonded with Chaos the gentle gray giant as they both had such calm dispositions and she mothered him in his old age. She was depressed for weeks after his passing. When Purrceval joined our family just about two years ago she bonded with him as well, he too has a gentle disposition.
Lucky & Purrcy
Lucky was the soul of our little family.
She never set one paw outside once she entered our home. You could leave the door open and she wouldn't go. Any other cat would be all "wha-hoo!" and halfway down the block before I could say "boo" let alone go after them. Not Lucky. She apparently figured one run-in with a car was enough, why risk it? Besides, the windows have kitty hammocks - all the sights and smells of outside with none of the risk, Smart girl.
This last year though was kind of rough. We had an ear mite infestation in the summer that in her case led to repeated ear infections that ultimately damaged her eardrums and left her deaf. That was terrifying for her. Imagine living with four ninja warriors and never knowing when you would be pounced on. She lived in the basement for all of August. Finally I was able to coax her upstairs and she adjusted. She was still jumpy of course, almost as jumpy as she had been when I first brought her home but we all got used to this new way of living together. Rumba picked on Lucky and for the first time Lucky fought back - loudly. Not that Rumba paid any attention, she's young (only four) and still trying to stake her claim as top cat. Not working. But she tries. Purrcy though snuggled with Lucky and kept her calm.
Then she got sick. Repeated, nasty urinary infections manifested by uncontrolled potty accidents. It took almost two months to clear them up and required tests and pills causing a great deal of stress. I refused to put her down because she hadn't given me "the look". When it was time Pounce had given me that look, so had Chaos. I wasn't going put her down until she was ready. I wasn't going to do that just because she was old and this was inconvenient for me. We finally got everything cleared up and went another two months with no problems. Until this week.
On Tuesday morning she had another accident. And this time she gave me "the look" so I knew. And so we went. A good friend met us there and I came home alone. My lucky kitty, my pretty LaLa was making her way over the Rainbow Bridge. No more purring on my pillow in the morning. No more mothering all of us. There is a huge, huge hole in our little feline family unit right now. Purrcy is confused and keeps looking for her - checking all her napping spots and coming to me with sideways ears and big blue eyes. Rumba peeks around corners trying to find her (Rumba never peeks, she charges along). Honey jumps up on the couch and looks to see if Lucky is there with me, one ear sideways (kitty confused face). Bonsai alone seems to understand. He's sticking to me petty close. But you see he is 16 years old. He was here when Pouncequick and Chaos left us. He was here when his birthkitty Baby went in for a simple procedure and never made it out of recovery due to a heart condition. He was here when our semi-stray Sweetie-Pie went outside and never came home. He knows about the Rainbow Bridge.
Lucky was 17 years old. She was a very lucky girl. I am very lucky that St Francis led me to her that cold January day. She was the sweetest cat I ever knew.
Lucky's window hammock
This last year though was kind of rough. We had an ear mite infestation in the summer that in her case led to repeated ear infections that ultimately damaged her eardrums and left her deaf. That was terrifying for her. Imagine living with four ninja warriors and never knowing when you would be pounced on. She lived in the basement for all of August. Finally I was able to coax her upstairs and she adjusted. She was still jumpy of course, almost as jumpy as she had been when I first brought her home but we all got used to this new way of living together. Rumba picked on Lucky and for the first time Lucky fought back - loudly. Not that Rumba paid any attention, she's young (only four) and still trying to stake her claim as top cat. Not working. But she tries. Purrcy though snuggled with Lucky and kept her calm.
Lucky and Rumba
Then she got sick. Repeated, nasty urinary infections manifested by uncontrolled potty accidents. It took almost two months to clear them up and required tests and pills causing a great deal of stress. I refused to put her down because she hadn't given me "the look". When it was time Pounce had given me that look, so had Chaos. I wasn't going put her down until she was ready. I wasn't going to do that just because she was old and this was inconvenient for me. We finally got everything cleared up and went another two months with no problems. Until this week.
On Tuesday morning she had another accident. And this time she gave me "the look" so I knew. And so we went. A good friend met us there and I came home alone. My lucky kitty, my pretty LaLa was making her way over the Rainbow Bridge. No more purring on my pillow in the morning. No more mothering all of us. There is a huge, huge hole in our little feline family unit right now. Purrcy is confused and keeps looking for her - checking all her napping spots and coming to me with sideways ears and big blue eyes. Rumba peeks around corners trying to find her (Rumba never peeks, she charges along). Honey jumps up on the couch and looks to see if Lucky is there with me, one ear sideways (kitty confused face). Bonsai alone seems to understand. He's sticking to me petty close. But you see he is 16 years old. He was here when Pouncequick and Chaos left us. He was here when his birthkitty Baby went in for a simple procedure and never made it out of recovery due to a heart condition. He was here when our semi-stray Sweetie-Pie went outside and never came home. He knows about the Rainbow Bridge.
Lucky was 17 years old. She was a very lucky girl. I am very lucky that St Francis led me to her that cold January day. She was the sweetest cat I ever knew.
Pretty Lucky
1996 - 2013
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