indiana territory

Well, gee, we didn't really mean it

My mother's cat Tippy passed away last night and she found him under the table on the deck. He looked as if he were sleeping; he was not. We don't know what caused his death, and since it is Saturday and the vet's office is closed, I guess we won't take him in. My mother is going to put his body in a safe spot and when the ground thaws, we will bury him.

Tippy was one of a litter of kittens my mother found on her back porch a few years ago; the mother figured she was an okay person. When Sydney came up, the mother took the kittens and then when she saw what kind of a dog Sydney is, brought them back. Of the litter, Tippy and Inky made their outdoor home with mother. Then one night Inky left and never came back. Tippy was always afraid of strangers, hiding whenever anyone drove in.

Tiffany wandered into the yard later and managed to make a truce with Tippy; and then The Little One showed up. Apparently abused, she was tiny and scared to eat. So mother had three cats at a breakfast bowl each morning. I thought I saw a trend here and would exclaim, "Mother!"

Tippy was not sick yesterday; I researched sudden cat death on the internet and discovered it is most often due to a heart condition. This is sad.

Tippy and Inky were there when Lucy Lib was still alive - the cat who showed up on Christmas Eve, just a few days after my aunt had died and a few hours after that aunt's December 30th birthday. Her daughter told my mother it was her mother's spirit come home - Mother lives in a house that has been in the family for generations.

Anyway, Lucy Lib would follow my dad around, sort of like a dog would. And, indeed, Miss Alice left her alone. Then he died in February of 2000 and mother came home from the funeral and opened the door for Lucy Lib and told her to come in. That cat passed away in the summer of 2006. Lucy's death made my mother sad. Tippy's death bothers me more. He was a spunky little guy.

Sydney and I are sorry about the cat remarks yesterday.

posted by Jody @ 1:37 PM