tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post2946441563267869629..comments2024-02-04T05:13:04.501-05:00Comments on Nik at Nite: Memorial for a LadyNikki Staffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-56077477073682001842012-01-28T21:53:03.548-05:002012-01-28T21:53:03.548-05:00I am glad I stopped by tonight to read this. I...I am glad I stopped by tonight to read this. I've had a bad week, and this puts things in perspective.<br /><br />My (current) husband brought up my cats today because he saw I was sad and wanted to cheer me up. <br /><br />My (ex) husband put down our Gracie over ten years ago now, also due to kidney issues. I called him on September 12th 2001 to check on him - we lived downtown Brooklyn - and we had just broken up 5 months earlier. When I asked after George and Gracie, he said, "Oh, I had to put Gracie down over the summer." I have to tell you, with everything else happening at that time, I can still say that was most devestating to me. I wasn't there for her, didn't get to see her, or love her enough. I have thought about her every day since. Every single day. <br /><br />Since we haven't been on speaking terms since our divorce a year later, I do not know if Georgie Boy (that's what we called him) is still here, but if he is he'd be twenty. I'd like to think he is still chasing shadows and flies, and comes when called, maybe a little slower now. I hope he got another friend, though I know he must have been so sad to lose Gracie. <br /><br />Thank you so much Nikki for your beautiful words. JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06219841452322761803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-46800470570528842522012-01-18T17:34:20.221-05:002012-01-18T17:34:20.221-05:00I haven't taken the time to thank all of you f...I haven't taken the time to thank all of you for your lovely comments and your own beautiful and sad stories. I was especially touched by those who said they hugged their kitties or dogs a little bit tighter that night. I know that our other two cats have certainly gotten more attention and affection in the past month as a result. Your stories were wonderful and brought tears to my eyes, too. <br /><br />Her name wasn't Lady (for some reason I suddenly felt that her unique name was something that maybe I should keep to myself; I don't know why, it just felt right) but that was our nickname. Many of you with pets know that you give your cat or dog one name and almost never call them that, haha! But I love that you're all calling her that, because she really was one. <br /><br />Sorry for those who got caught up and were suddenly crying unexpected tears! I hope I didn't embarrass too many of you at work. ;) <br /><br />My husband has always said, "Never trust someone who doesn't like animals." I'm deeply honoured and happy to be among so many people who I can obviously trust, by that rationale. Your stories were beautiful, and I hope to hear even more. <br /><br />I'm so sorry for all the losses all of you have had to endure. For as much complaining as I did about the cost of things (getting our credit card bill a month later with close to $2000 in costs was a punch in the gut) it takes a special person to become a vet, to comfort people losing these best friends. I hate that so many of us have had to do it. <br /><br />My husband said to me after, "Isn't it interesting that we could tell she was in pain and there was no quality of life, so we did what we felt was best, and in three seconds all that pain was gone. Funny how we don't show the same kindness to human beings." So true. <br /><br />I love my girl, and thank you for sharing the love that you've all had for your "little people in fur coats," as Fred so eloquently put it. ;)Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-26493188987402361082012-01-18T14:38:02.917-05:002012-01-18T14:38:02.917-05:00I really wish there was an alert on this. I went i...I really wish there was an alert on this. I went into it, thinking it wouldn't be that bad, but as I sit here at work the tears are just falling down my face. <br />I am a full blown cat-lady (my hubby and I currently have 4) whose recent acquistion of a puppy dog for her husband has only solidified my belief that cats are far superior ("Cats rule and dogs druel!")<br />Reading this I kept having flashbacks to the day after Thanksgiving 2 years ago. My husband had never liked cats when we first moved in together, but he found a lost kitten, only 4 weeks old, with a curly-q tail, that sat on his shoulder in the truck the whole way home. My husband had been joking about getting a duck, so he named his new baby Ducky (he had thought it was a girl at first but we cat-owners often get this wrong.) <br />He bottle fed his baby boy, he slept with us from the first night on, even peeing on me because he was too small to get off the bed. This cat who eventually grew to be about 4 feet long and 22 lbs, loved my husband without hesitation. He came when called or whistled to. He dominated his female counterparts and left his white fur on every guest because he loved everyone. He had a penchant for stealing food off your plate, licking pepsi cans, and stepping on my husband's manhood when he came in for kisses (not good when you consider his weight.)<br />My husband woke me up at 8 am and I knew immediately something was wrong. He had heard a crash, bang, boom in the middle of the night ( a common occurance in a 5 cat household) and apparently our monster fell. <br />Over the past two years he has chastised himself for kicking Ducky out of the bed that night because he was stepping on his face and for not getting up to check when the crash occurred. <br />Nothing. Nothing replaces the love an animal brings to a home. I am ready to curl into a ball right now and cry or fly to Canada to give you a big hug. Thank you for sharing your story and for being honest about the hurt when others act as if it's no big deal.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04465366984953974907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-75963292673440283932012-01-14T23:21:26.899-05:002012-01-14T23:21:26.899-05:00Nikki, thank you for sharing your story. I am in t...Nikki, thank you for sharing your story. I am in tears thinking of you at that final moment. Those of us who have been there know how you feel.Helenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-80916033730874477352012-01-13T17:18:29.576-05:002012-01-13T17:18:29.576-05:00Aw, Nikki, I'm so terribly sorry for you loss....Aw, Nikki, I'm so terribly sorry for you loss. Thank you for sharing this story, I know it must have been terribly hard (I teared up reading it; I can only imagine what it was like writing it). <br /><br />I'm a total softie when it comes to animals; my wife is a vet tech, and she knows not to tell me about any animals that come in with a sad story and the need for a home unless she's prepared to bring that animal home, because I'll want to do just that. <br /><br />My childhood cat, Grizzy (Grizzabella; my mom loves Andrew Lloyd Weber's <i>Cats</i>) was a female orange tabby, like your lady. She died of similar kidney problems shortly after I moved in with my wife (then girlfriend). My wife had a cat already, and Grizz was by then old and crotechty, set in her ways, disliking of any other animals, and suffering from a kidney disease, so I left her with my parents. <br /><br />Grizz was a family cat, but she was very much *my* cat. She clearly favored me, and everyone knew it. It broke my heart to leave her behind, but it was for the best. She died shortly after I moved out, and while I know she never could have come with me, I still wonder if she didn't slip away a little faster because I wasn't around as much, and I still regret not cherishing our time together more. <br /><br />My wife and I have two cats and a dog now, and we'll be devastated whenever any of them passes on, which will be far too soon (but then, there's no so such thing as having "enough" time with the ones you love, is there?). <br /><br />Again, thanks for sharing Nikki, and my condolences to you and your family. Your lady will live on not just in your hearts, but in the hearts and minds of all the people who have read this.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-2982661564743436572012-01-12T18:29:40.161-05:002012-01-12T18:29:40.161-05:00Oh, Nikki... I've lost cats young and old, sud...<br>Oh, Nikki... I've lost cats young and old, suddenly and after long illnesses. You're never prepared; it's always too soon. <br /><br />I have a pair of cats right now, the first to which I'm a parent instead of a big brother, and while we've had a precious 15 years together I'm still not ready for them to go — even as I know that we don't have enough time left. Pebbles is a dainty little girl, orange and white like Lady; Bamm-Bamm is a big baby-faced boy, mostly black and grey with some of Pebbles' coloring on his chin and belly. He got sick early last week for the first time since he was quite young, and while some antibiotics seem to have cleared things up the experience is a reminder of the familiar, inevitable pain that's coming.<br /><br />Nobody without pets understands the special kind of unconditional love they bring; it's their loss. Despite the pain of <i>our</i> loss when time is up, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I'm thinking of you.<br /><br />VW: <i>barifti</i> — Ftarbucks employees.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-89961955127522893032012-01-12T14:01:58.119-05:002012-01-12T14:01:58.119-05:00There will always be a corner, a room we walk into...There will always be a corner, a room we walk into, a sound that will startle a memory of that one who has passed away. Their absence will become a kind of presence, and time will seem a distance from where we parted. My sympathies for your family in losing such a precious little individual (not just a cat, but a little person in a fur coat).Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01474623954925835867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-77721874535781471102012-01-12T11:27:56.250-05:002012-01-12T11:27:56.250-05:00@humanebean: Beautiful.@humanebean: Beautiful.Marebabenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-3623134737277719192012-01-12T10:18:17.022-05:002012-01-12T10:18:17.022-05:00I'm crying my eyes out. For you and your Lady....I'm crying my eyes out. For you and your Lady. My all my dogs, living and gone, but never forgotten.Beachgirl5835https://www.blogger.com/profile/15407081463579587256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-80260816716337933272012-01-12T09:52:07.639-05:002012-01-12T09:52:07.639-05:00I'm so sorry Nikki! It was beautiful and she w...I'm so sorry Nikki! It was beautiful and she was a beautiful kitty.Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08133846331505052252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-74020207311548519242012-01-12T08:13:46.988-05:002012-01-12T08:13:46.988-05:00Nikki, I am so sorry for your loss. My sister rec...Nikki, I am so sorry for your loss. My sister recently lost a cat who I was reminded of while reading your lovely tirbute go your Lady. I mourn the loss of Ashlee every time I go to her house and realize after several hours that this time Ashlee won't be coming to give me her discerning greeting.<br /><br />Again, I am so sorry for your and your family's pain!Suzannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-10238843700598120822012-01-12T04:22:59.133-05:002012-01-12T04:22:59.133-05:00Love, just like laughter,
lingers long in memory
w...Love, just like laughter,<br />lingers long in memory<br />when we say goodbye.<br /><br />Once joined, never apart.<br />Those who have gone on ahead<br />know this to be true.<br /><br />The heart remembers<br />when pain has been forgotten.<br />They are with us still.humanebeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15717844158635399246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-58812773937499878152012-01-12T03:27:25.207-05:002012-01-12T03:27:25.207-05:00I'm so sorry for your loss Nikki. We lost our ...I'm so sorry for your loss Nikki. We lost our dog, Macy, a week ago and this post just brought back all those memories and emotions.<br /><br />She was only 9, we have the same birthday so she would have been 10 the same day I turn 21 this April, and it was very sudden. I took her for a walk and she was fine, a couple of hours my dad found her dead in the front yard, we never got a chance to say goodbye and we'll never know exactly why she died.<br /><br />It feels so strange to look out of the window and not see her, or to go out and get the mail and not be able to say hello to her, I've never lived in this house without her...<br /><br />She's been a part of my life since I was 11, now she's gone and I'm thinking about her almost constantly.<br /><br />That was a beautiful tribute to your Lady.lucindaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11265979625206276514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-21424209448669166872012-01-11T23:14:26.404-05:002012-01-11T23:14:26.404-05:00Nikki, That was beautiful. I lost my Pookie when h...Nikki, That was beautiful. I lost my Pookie when he was 19 1/2 years old and it was too soon. He came into my life when I was 20 and still living at hime, and left me a few months before my 40th birthday. A lot happens between 20 and 40. Pookie came with me when I got married, and divorced. Then it was just the two of us living in a tiny studio apartment in Brooklyn. When I remarried, Pookie gained a sister, Cara. They never became good friends but tolerated each other. A few years later, we brought in Basil. Basil adored Pookie...they slept together, played together and ate together. When our daughter was born, Pookie LOVED her. I would leave her on the floor on a blanket while straightening up, making the bed, etc., and Pookie would watch over her. He and I slept together: me spooning him and tucking my hand under his belly. I was very lucky to lose Pookie to old age, as opposed to cancer at 10 years old, like Basil. Very lucky. We have 3 cats again, this time all girls. I love them very much...I sleep with Cali and Uma...but, 7 years later, I still miss my Pookie. There will never be another Pookie. Pets are so wonderful. I cannot imagine my life without them.jamurphy99https://www.blogger.com/profile/12189267182396507446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-9438001845773248822012-01-11T21:44:25.621-05:002012-01-11T21:44:25.621-05:00This makes me so, so sad. Our 11 year old kitty i...This makes me so, so sad. Our 11 year old kitty is going to get extra cuddles tonight.Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441044988830815964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-74152238916130638962012-01-11T21:02:47.050-05:002012-01-11T21:02:47.050-05:00Thank you for telling this story, Nikki. I, too, l...Thank you for telling this story, Nikki. I, too, lost a beloved cat at the age of 14 to kidney disease, and your account is very similar to my experience. I'm crying now thinking of Norman (that was his name when he came to me, and I never changed it, though it seemed silly) & feeling much sympathy for you. It sounds like your Lady was a treasure.Theremhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11417117502638337533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-74421488056460079842012-01-11T20:28:40.578-05:002012-01-11T20:28:40.578-05:00Bless you, dear Nikki. That was so wonderful. And ...Bless you, dear Nikki. That was so wonderful. And may I say, most of the humans I’ve ever known who died never had such a splendid eulogy. You loved her, and your heart aches from losing her. And I’m trying to type this while sniffling and dabbing at tears. I can hardly see my computer monitor. (Now that I think of it, it IS better that I didn’t read this while at work today.) <br /><br />Thank you. And again I say, bless you.Marebabenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-41294413065274738592012-01-11T20:17:07.693-05:002012-01-11T20:17:07.693-05:00That was beautiful, and I can imagine who hard tha...That was beautiful, and I can imagine who hard that must have been to write. And my new kitten was on lap licking my arm as i read it, I think she got a tear or two on her!<br /><br />Two big ones, plus this one, all under 6, so they've got time but I still remember the day we had to say goodbye to the cat I had since I was 3. I was 14/15 but I still bawled. <br /><br />I pity anyone whose too close-minded to see what little balls of love they are.<br /><br />Sorry for you loss, and thank you for the post.Dusknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-59833327934719819462012-01-11T20:03:02.292-05:002012-01-11T20:03:02.292-05:00I haven't checked your site in awhile but deci...I haven't checked your site in awhile but decided to tonight. Can't believe it. This past week I had to put my 14 year old cat to sleep. I can relate to everything you went through. I too was away and came home to see how frail he had become in such a short time. I did get to spend that last night with him on the couch since he was too weak to get on or off the bed and I am so grateful that I did. Even in his feeble state he purred and I know felt comforted. You are not alone in your love for these little creatures we take into our lives. Thanks for sharing your story. It helped. I am sorry for your loss and wish you all the best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-7799080471129452812012-01-11T19:25:34.179-05:002012-01-11T19:25:34.179-05:00I know how incredibly difficult it was to write th...I know how incredibly difficult it was to write that. My cat, my dear sweet Smilo, left us almost 4 years ago, and reading this brought back so many memories, and so much emotion, that I'm sitting here at my desk at work crying, and trying not to sob out loud. We got two cats almost a year ago, and part of the reason we waited so long--a reason I think about even now at times--is that I dread that day coming for them, and I know it will.<br /><br />You loved her and she loved you--and that is still true. That is the best gift you could give her. Thank you.<br /><br />(((((hugs)))))Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953642112681839517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-35497929589151907332012-01-11T17:49:47.509-05:002012-01-11T17:49:47.509-05:00That is one of the most beautiful and moving thing...That is one of the most beautiful and moving things I have ever read. Thank you for sharing, i'm sure it wasn't easy- I'm sitting here with tears running down my face, remembering what it's like, how painful it is.<br />Losing a pet is not trivial, and the greif you feel should never be dimished. Losing someone that <br />has been a part of your life for so long will always hurt, it doesn't matter if it is an animal or a human.<br /><br />It fills me with fear sometimes when I look at my two beatiful cats and know that one day they won't be there. However all the lovely things you wrote about The Lady reminded me that although nothing will ever replace them, you will always have memories, because they last forever.EvaHarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047750533995811019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-84975608667419061072012-01-11T17:16:53.234-05:002012-01-11T17:16:53.234-05:00What a moving and beautiful tribute to The Lady.What a moving and beautiful tribute to The Lady.Cyntheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09618572637715350004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-61392834277437691902012-01-11T15:31:17.466-05:002012-01-11T15:31:17.466-05:00I've been a cat person my entire life. My pare...I've been a cat person my entire life. My parents had three when I was born, and losing them one by one was really my introduction to the concept of death. When I was 8 we got two more, who were allegedly mine and my sister's, but who lived with my parents when we went off to college and moved out. <br /><br />The longest-living of those two was "my" cat, Rusty, who lived to be 19 until he had to be put down a few years ago. Losing him was like someone cutting the umbilical cord to so many childhood memories. It's not that I can't still access such memories, but in the closing of his eyes they went from being nearby to seeming so very, very distant. He had kept them alive in a way I hadn't even realized until he was gone. <br /><br />Now my parents refuse to get new cats because Mom says she just can't take the heartbreak that comes from saying goodbye. I'm happy that even though I've been less successful in providing them with new family members than my sister has, I've at least been able to carry on the family cat-keeping tradition, and my parents truly dote on and spoil their 'grand-kitties.' <br /><br />I keep two currently, both of which spend more time physically on top of me than Rusty ever did, and now in my fifth year with them, it's hard to imagine life any different. I'm a big, hardy guy who's kind of the emotional rock of the family. I rarely cry not because I feel any need not to, but just because it's the way I'm wired. The thing that gets me though -- every time without fail -- is the knowledge that these two little guys who are such a large part of my existence aren't going to be around forever. <br /><br />I'm a constant thinker, and pondering life and death is very much the norm for me. I hold on to my boys tight, cherishing every moment with them, and knowing full well the value of "the now" and how fleeting and changing life is. Your story of your dear Lady had my bawling like a newborn, and I thank you dearly for sharing it. I understand your loss and how a piece of you will never quite be there again.<br /><br />I'm glad you have a new kitten in your house, not because a loved pet could EVER be replaced, but because cherished pets are, to me, proof of just how much love humans are capable of -- and I feel the greatest honor we can give our lost friends is to share the love we're capable of with other little furballs who might otherwise never know/experience it. <br /><br />Anyone who doesn't think a person can mean that much to an animal is truly missing out on one of life's great experiences. <br /><br />Best wishes to you and yours.Sagacious Penguinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02300030494408133540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-89083714542029677932012-01-11T15:14:54.930-05:002012-01-11T15:14:54.930-05:00Oh, Nikki. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sobbing f...Oh, Nikki. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sobbing for you. My heart aches for you.<br /><br />We had to put my dog down when I was 19. She was my first pet and we got her when I was 8 years old. I grew up with my girl and I loved her so, so much. <br />As I read this, my 7 month old puppy is sleeping at my feet.<br />Being only 7 months, and a small dog, she's energetic and stubborn and I often have days when I question my decision to ever get a dog!<br />Bit tonight, I'll hug her closer. I'll pet her more. I'll let her lie in my lap and lick my hand until it's raw if she wants to because of this post.<br />It's reminded me that, even on bad days, Rosie is our girl. She is a huge part of our family and without her stubbornness and energy and silly little quirks, she wouldn't be the funny girl we love.<br /><br />Hugs to you, Nikki.Christina Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-47033208681603244542012-01-11T13:56:08.936-05:002012-01-11T13:56:08.936-05:00I read this with our 4-month-old kitty by my side,...I read this with our 4-month-old kitty by my side, and now he's looking at me with that inquisitive look because I'm bawling.<br /><br />The only reason my sister and I debated whether to take in a cat or not was the pain we would suffer over his loss, because we know their life span is far shorter than ours. I've always gotten incredibly sad over other people's dead pets, so losing my own is something I really don't want to think about.<br /><br />I hate it when people go "Well, it's not like a PERSON died" -it's stupid; many persons die every day and it doesn't affect me the least bit! A pet is part of the family, and if you accept my love for it then you should accept my mourning it.<br /><br />Does her brother seem to have been affected by her loss? And how is he with the new one?<br /><br />You're obviously a writer -and a good one at that- since you could produce something so beautiful and affecting over such an experience.Efthymianoreply@blogger.com