Keep an eye out for an old, black cat in the Cedar Street, Forest Square, Chestnut Hill area.
Birdie wandered off a few days ago and hasn’t been seen since. She’s quite old, very quiet, and polite, and likes to sleep under bushes or in a warm sunny spot. Last seen in the Water Lane area.
If you have a garage, shed, or cellar door that you opened for a while this week, consider opening it back up and taking a look. She may have wandered in.
It’s also not really like her to move very far from the driveway here. She is nearly 20, rather frail, and may have just headed off to find a final resting spot.
Some of you may know her from seeing her in our driveway.
You might want to check
any area nearby where there is a brook or running water. My 17 year old cat, Billy, would go off to sit at the edge of a brook near our back yard during his last week alive, and would occasionally sip the water. He had by then stopped eating, and I felt that he knew he was passing and there was something about the water’s flow that was pulling him to find his peaceful exit. I hope you find your cat, Birdie, and can be with her at this time.
I miss ya, Bird...
Still no sign of her. I’m assuming she’s passed on.
What a great cat, She showed up unannounced, in pretty bad shape, about 8 years ago. Big, almost entirely black, with big green eyes. I spent a long time massaging her and giving kitty shiatsu to get her flexible and mobile again. It worked. She slimmed up, got more active, got brave again, and became a good member of the family,
She was the most polite girl, sitting quietly and waiting while our other cat ate first. And tolerant – she’d let you pet her anywhere. She allowed me to learn everything I needed about cat anatomy.
Bird was very quiet. Her purr was a bit like cooing pigeons, hence her name. She had a very tiny “mew” that she’d muster up if she hadn’t seen you in a while by way of hello.
Birdie could do somersaults. She’d put her head down first, then do her patented “Birdie Flip” to end up on her back.
She loved the outdoors – went out every day of the year, whether 90 or 20 degrees. She’d march through snow up to her shoulders, she’d ask to go out during storms (no)m and would go out in the rain.
Lately she’d been fading, but still loving her regular routine. I know she was happy.
First cat singular
Some articles and comments are really special. This is one of them.
I'm so sorry that Birdie
I’m so sorry that Birdie hasn’t made her way back home. Animals have a unique way of knowing when their time is near and often go off someplace secluded. But, cats in particular do have the ability to disappear for lengthy periods of time and still find their way home. Whatever Birdie’s situation is it’s clear that she was a cherished and well loved member of your family and gave extraordinary gifts back to you. It’s funny about animals- they come into our lives either by choice or circumstance and we grow to love them and feel that we are there to care for them. But, the reality is that they take care of us. They find a niche in our lives and settle in with all their little quirks and habits and various personalities and there they are- a part of us. Irreplaceble and irresistable. It’s incredibly hard when they leave us- even knowing that it may well have been exactly the right time. She sounds like a cat I would have liked to know.
See her everywhere, and nowhere
Thanks for the kind thoughts and words. Still no sign of her.
I’ll give you another Birdie tidbit or two. It’s therapy for me.
I mentioned how polite she was – very accepting of her circumstances whatever they may be. There was one day near Christmas (Bird always loved Christmas) when she got curious and stuck her head inside a paper bag. I was across the room watching when she stuck her head in, looked to see what was in there, and then started to back out of the bag.
The bag was snug, though, and didn’t slide off. She took a few steps backward to free herself, then when that didn’t work, she just sat down with the bag on her head, politely waiting until the situation changed.
One more – she was my auto mechanic. Well, she checked by tires on an almost daily basis. Birdie would wake up, head outside, then stretch her claws by grabbing the car tire. I always knew that if she did that and the tire went flat, I should not be driving. : )
Ironic
As I read this, I see, on the right side of the page, ads for cats to be adopted.
Hint! Hint!
Too soon
We can’t just replace the Bird. It would be like saying, we’ll just adopt another kid. But thanks for thinking of us!
(Birdie came to us as a stray. So did our other cat. We love strays and in all probability another will wander into our lives someday.)