End of an era…
It’s been a while since my last post.
Last week our beloved almost 18 year old cat, Bear, died. When her brother died a few years ago, Bear valiantly “stepped up” to help fill the void Puma left behind, but now with both them both gone… well it’s been a tough week.
Puma and Bear were fabulous beings. Very conscious and connected, they went on long walks with us when we lived in the country, and were always at the ready when we needed comforting. But as loving as they both were (Puma was a “lap cat” and Bear a living-teddybear cuddler), what I’ll probably remember most was their humor. Each of them had secret things they only did when we weren’t watching—Puma chasing his tail in circles on the stair landing, Bear moving her pom-pom toy from room too room—they’d each stop instantly if they saw us watching them. Together they practiced cat Tai Chi, loved taking turns insanely chasing a toy while the other waited their turn. Bear would regularly fall off things when she slept, and Puma would run and dive into a pile of leaves, or under the sheet as we were making the bed. Puma was a love to everyone. Bear was complicated and concerned—always sniffing upwind of a new person to try and judge if they were worthy of her presence. There were so many games they each insisted we play with them, but of course they were cats, so wouldn’t always comply when we tried to show them off. Thanks to the iPhone I do have a couple of videos of Bear doing yoga with me, and playing catch/batting practice (I’ll let you know when I get those posted).
Puma and Bear were both the most wonderful and devoted of friends. I know that I will always miss them, but I hope that some day I can remember them with just a smile, and not a broken heart.
Perhaps I can now finish that children’s book about them, in the works since 1999…
