Chloe
Father God,
I'm trying to be strong while I grieve, and not fall back into a pit of despair, but the truth is I'm weak. Very, very weak. It's only through You that I have strength at all.
As You know, Chloe has joined you up there in Heaven. She was a cherished member of our family for 16 years and we were blessed to have her. She was special, so very special. To some they say she's just a cat but to us, she was so much more, she was an angel in disguise. You knew we needed her for a time and you placed her in our lives. She was with us through so many hard times and good times too.
She used to steal my breakfast right out of my hand when I would be getting ready for school. She thought peanut butter toast/bagels were great! She was full of spunk and cat-itude right from the get go and she was a fighter!
We came across her at the mall, a lady was outside the petstore giving away kittens. Mom was determined we weren't going to have another cat but I asked if I could hold one anyway. As this fluffy little girl settled in Mom couldn't resist her charms and said that we'd be taking her home. What we didn't know at the moment was just how sick this little kitty was. She was coated in fleas which we noticed before we even left the mall. They were killing her. We stopped by my sisters place (a former vet tech) and introduced her before taking her home. Once at home we couldn't bring her inside because of the fleas and having another cat indoors so we got out an old plastic baby tub and some warm soapy water and started a long painful process of giving this sweet little kitty a flea bath. It took a long long time to get all the fleas. The water was blood red. This little baby was fighting for her life. After more then an hour, possibly two hours, we brought her in the house, up to the bathroom to give her a really good final rinse down with the shower head. More fleas came off her. At least at this point they were all dead. After that traumatic experience the fluffy little kitty slept on my lap, curled up, and wrapped in towels. We had already dried her with the hair dryer, she was so exhausted she didn't fight it. Well, after all this she survived! She showed us she was a true fighter and boy oh boy was she an active and feisty girl. She never stayed still after she recovered from that bath.
She was probably more dog then cat in her ways. She'd steal our balled up socks and underwear if they were in reach and run around the dinning room table with them or under a bed. While she was little she'd come on car trips with us. She went to Queensland and Best Ever Fries. It was at BEF that she first let her cat-itude show. There was a dog running around and she just hissed and growled. It was comical coming from a little tiny kitten such as herself. She was probably not even 10 weeks at that point. She also went with us to Peggy's Cove. It was shortly after Swissair 111 and Peggy's Cove was just reopened to the public. It was so surreal but she helped comfort us. I carried her wrapped in a little towel along the trail and some of the rocks.
A few years later I was going through some exceptionally tough stuff with mental health. My way of coping was very unhealthy and I had started taking overdoses as a way to cope. I thought I wanted to die. Chloe wasn't a cuddly cat and she didn't usually stay with me at night but on those nights she would stay on the bed until the paramedics would arrive. Sadly this happened frequently until I was forced to leave home. Despite this, she's what sort of held the family together. I had a really hard time talking to my parents, but I always wanted to know how Chloe was doing. So even when I didn't want to talk I'd call to hear Chloe "talk". Mom was always able to get her to purr and give little meow's and squeaks. Sometimes it took some effort on mom's part but she always succeeded. To this day I'm not sure my parents and I would still be on speaking terms, let alone be so close, if it hadn't been for this little *ahem* furball. I say it that way because anyone who knew Chloe knew she wasn't little for most of her adulthood.
Chloe especially liked it when mom would read out loud from the Bible or say the Lord's Prayer. This would get her practically turning herself inside out with affection. She would wake from her sleep or stop whatever she was doing to go to Mom to get kisses and love.
Dad had a serious accident and was in the hospital for quite some time. He almost needed his leg amputated but the doctors saved it. For the first while that Dad came home he had to live in the basement because he couldn't get up the stairs. He had to use a wheelchair to get around and a nurse had to come in to do bandage changes. Typically pets weren't suppose to be allowed access when the nurses would come but Dad's nurses didn't mind Chloe. Chloe would always make sure she was right there supervising to see that everything was done correctly.
Of course she was with us through happy times too but it's those hard times that her presence really stood out. God you knew ahead of time how much we would need her in our lives. You sent us an angel in disguise by giving her to us.
I remember staying over one night before Dad's accident. My regular medication dose had been switched to night time meds. Well, I went to take my regular dose and Chloe got up in my face. I am sure she was worried I was going to take an overdose as those just about always happened at night. I felt so bad and had to reassure her it was okay. At other times she'd get hissy and growly just for the fun of it...we think she just liked to be vocal and make us think she was a big, bad, tough kitty. This is why we always say she had cat-itude. In all likely hood she probably just wished I'd give her less attention. So when she'd get hissy and growly I would get hissy and growly right back. It short of almost become "our thing". Sometimes you just had to look at her wrong and she'd start up.
Oh, there was the time when she was still a kitten and I couldn't find her anywhere. I was home alone with her and went out to the kitchen where I noticed one of the upper cupboard doors was open ever so slightly. I opened it up and there she was sitting in a cereal bowl eating the blueberry pie that had been put out of reach. Haha. That was probably one of the funniest moments and one of the most told stories about Chloe.
Lord, I know you know all these memories and that these are just some of the many. I want to thank you for bringing her into our lives. She truly was a gift. My heart is broken knowing that she is know longer with us on Earth but I'm so happy that she is no longer in pain or suffering. As you know her health had been declining for quite some time. I'm sure she must be up there with you causing a ruckus and livening things up just a little. She can walk normally again without pain. I'm sure she's more beautiful then ever (and she was pretty darn gorgeous). It is a comfort knowing she's up there waiting for us when it is our turns to join her.
Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life....to hold on to her and say goodbye and that I loved her as she passed from this world to Yours. She was definitely a loved kitty and I'm better from having known her. Thank you Lord. All life is precious regardless if human or animal. I'll forever miss you beautiful Chloe.
Father God, I just pray for my family (myself included) to ease our broken hearts. It's okay to grieve but help us not let it get us too down. Her life was a gift from you. We are so thankful and blessed.
Thank you Lord!
I love you!
Your daughter
PS: please give her a kiss for each of us
I'm trying to be strong while I grieve, and not fall back into a pit of despair, but the truth is I'm weak. Very, very weak. It's only through You that I have strength at all.
As You know, Chloe has joined you up there in Heaven. She was a cherished member of our family for 16 years and we were blessed to have her. She was special, so very special. To some they say she's just a cat but to us, she was so much more, she was an angel in disguise. You knew we needed her for a time and you placed her in our lives. She was with us through so many hard times and good times too.
She used to steal my breakfast right out of my hand when I would be getting ready for school. She thought peanut butter toast/bagels were great! She was full of spunk and cat-itude right from the get go and she was a fighter!
We came across her at the mall, a lady was outside the petstore giving away kittens. Mom was determined we weren't going to have another cat but I asked if I could hold one anyway. As this fluffy little girl settled in Mom couldn't resist her charms and said that we'd be taking her home. What we didn't know at the moment was just how sick this little kitty was. She was coated in fleas which we noticed before we even left the mall. They were killing her. We stopped by my sisters place (a former vet tech) and introduced her before taking her home. Once at home we couldn't bring her inside because of the fleas and having another cat indoors so we got out an old plastic baby tub and some warm soapy water and started a long painful process of giving this sweet little kitty a flea bath. It took a long long time to get all the fleas. The water was blood red. This little baby was fighting for her life. After more then an hour, possibly two hours, we brought her in the house, up to the bathroom to give her a really good final rinse down with the shower head. More fleas came off her. At least at this point they were all dead. After that traumatic experience the fluffy little kitty slept on my lap, curled up, and wrapped in towels. We had already dried her with the hair dryer, she was so exhausted she didn't fight it. Well, after all this she survived! She showed us she was a true fighter and boy oh boy was she an active and feisty girl. She never stayed still after she recovered from that bath.
She was probably more dog then cat in her ways. She'd steal our balled up socks and underwear if they were in reach and run around the dinning room table with them or under a bed. While she was little she'd come on car trips with us. She went to Queensland and Best Ever Fries. It was at BEF that she first let her cat-itude show. There was a dog running around and she just hissed and growled. It was comical coming from a little tiny kitten such as herself. She was probably not even 10 weeks at that point. She also went with us to Peggy's Cove. It was shortly after Swissair 111 and Peggy's Cove was just reopened to the public. It was so surreal but she helped comfort us. I carried her wrapped in a little towel along the trail and some of the rocks.
A few years later I was going through some exceptionally tough stuff with mental health. My way of coping was very unhealthy and I had started taking overdoses as a way to cope. I thought I wanted to die. Chloe wasn't a cuddly cat and she didn't usually stay with me at night but on those nights she would stay on the bed until the paramedics would arrive. Sadly this happened frequently until I was forced to leave home. Despite this, she's what sort of held the family together. I had a really hard time talking to my parents, but I always wanted to know how Chloe was doing. So even when I didn't want to talk I'd call to hear Chloe "talk". Mom was always able to get her to purr and give little meow's and squeaks. Sometimes it took some effort on mom's part but she always succeeded. To this day I'm not sure my parents and I would still be on speaking terms, let alone be so close, if it hadn't been for this little *ahem* furball. I say it that way because anyone who knew Chloe knew she wasn't little for most of her adulthood.
Chloe especially liked it when mom would read out loud from the Bible or say the Lord's Prayer. This would get her practically turning herself inside out with affection. She would wake from her sleep or stop whatever she was doing to go to Mom to get kisses and love.
Dad had a serious accident and was in the hospital for quite some time. He almost needed his leg amputated but the doctors saved it. For the first while that Dad came home he had to live in the basement because he couldn't get up the stairs. He had to use a wheelchair to get around and a nurse had to come in to do bandage changes. Typically pets weren't suppose to be allowed access when the nurses would come but Dad's nurses didn't mind Chloe. Chloe would always make sure she was right there supervising to see that everything was done correctly.
Of course she was with us through happy times too but it's those hard times that her presence really stood out. God you knew ahead of time how much we would need her in our lives. You sent us an angel in disguise by giving her to us.
I remember staying over one night before Dad's accident. My regular medication dose had been switched to night time meds. Well, I went to take my regular dose and Chloe got up in my face. I am sure she was worried I was going to take an overdose as those just about always happened at night. I felt so bad and had to reassure her it was okay. At other times she'd get hissy and growly just for the fun of it...we think she just liked to be vocal and make us think she was a big, bad, tough kitty. This is why we always say she had cat-itude. In all likely hood she probably just wished I'd give her less attention. So when she'd get hissy and growly I would get hissy and growly right back. It short of almost become "our thing". Sometimes you just had to look at her wrong and she'd start up.
Oh, there was the time when she was still a kitten and I couldn't find her anywhere. I was home alone with her and went out to the kitchen where I noticed one of the upper cupboard doors was open ever so slightly. I opened it up and there she was sitting in a cereal bowl eating the blueberry pie that had been put out of reach. Haha. That was probably one of the funniest moments and one of the most told stories about Chloe.
Lord, I know you know all these memories and that these are just some of the many. I want to thank you for bringing her into our lives. She truly was a gift. My heart is broken knowing that she is know longer with us on Earth but I'm so happy that she is no longer in pain or suffering. As you know her health had been declining for quite some time. I'm sure she must be up there with you causing a ruckus and livening things up just a little. She can walk normally again without pain. I'm sure she's more beautiful then ever (and she was pretty darn gorgeous). It is a comfort knowing she's up there waiting for us when it is our turns to join her.
Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life....to hold on to her and say goodbye and that I loved her as she passed from this world to Yours. She was definitely a loved kitty and I'm better from having known her. Thank you Lord. All life is precious regardless if human or animal. I'll forever miss you beautiful Chloe.
Father God, I just pray for my family (myself included) to ease our broken hearts. It's okay to grieve but help us not let it get us too down. Her life was a gift from you. We are so thankful and blessed.
Thank you Lord!
I love you!
Your daughter
PS: please give her a kiss for each of us
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