Goodbye Gooser

We said goodbye to an old friend last night.

One of our two cats had been having some problems lately and after a visit to the vet last night, we decided it was time to let her go.

Thirteen and a half years ago, J was in grad school and I traveled a lot for my job so we thought it would be nice to have pets. So one New Year's Eve, my mom and I went to pick out the two 10 week old kittens from a pet shelter. At the time, it was unknown if they were male or female, so their names were Petey and Teddy (I don't remember who was who now). We renamed them Lucy and Emma and I drove them back to Chicago where J was in school. Lucy's name morphed into a number of nicknames...Lucy Goose, Gooser, Goosey, and Lucy Bell.

Goosey was always the quieter cat, preferring one on one company (always on her terms). In the early days, she loved to ride around on J's shoulder and would purr loudly when he lifted her up high.

When the kids came along, she would usually retreat somewhere safe and quiet until they were in bed. However, like clockwork, she would come out of hiding for some lovin' from J. She'd wait for him outside Banany's door and race downstairs to get her belly rubbed.

He said she was laying on the table at the vet's office yesterday and he was crouched right down next to her while she purred. It was quiet and she was with her favorite person, who was especially devastated to say goodbye to his buddy. I'm glad he was the last person she saw and that she felt safe, comfortable and happy enough to be relaxed and purring. He loved her well and she loved him back.

The other cat, most famously called Squemms, gets and enjoys lots of attention from the kids, so I think she'll be ok. Back in the day, the cats used to be inseparable, but more recently had kind of gone their own ways...like bickering old ladies. She'll certainly notice the Goose is gone, but we'll give her some extra belly rubs.

It's strange not to see the Goose come sauntering out of her favorite hiding spots. She was a good cat and I hope a happy one.

So long sweet Lucy Bell. We'll miss you.