Trying to move forward...

September 24, 1995 - August 20, 2008

Exactly two weeks ago today, our family experienced a tragedy that will remain with my Tiaras forever. We had to put our 13 year old kitty cat, Weenie, to rest. She was in acute renal failure and I helped her until I could help her no more. She was not in pain and continued to purr until her heart beat for the last time.

This cat, accused by many as being an attack cat, was the purest source of unconditional love that you could ever hope for. I bought her (and her sister) from a pet store in 1995 when they were a mere 3 weeks old. I bottle fed them both but Itsy Bitsy (her sister) did not survive beyond a week at home while (Teeny) Weenie continued to thrive until she was a healthy 21 pounds. I had her longer than I've had T-Bone. In fact, I had to warn him about her the first time he came to my apartment as she was known to attack.

She traveled with me in the car from Indiana to Las Vegas (staying at the Mirage), on to California to live, back to Indiana to live, on to New York to live, back to Indiana to live and then finally to Georgia to live. She LOVED riding in the car and she LOVED drive-thru's! She would get right up to my driver's side window and stretch her neck out, hoping that the worker at the fast food window would give her something to eat. She was truly a mess!

She greeted us at the door every time we came home. She didn't like laps but loved to give kisses. She loved getting baths every morning with a sopping wet washcloth. She was an avid tuna lover and would wake me each and every morning as she only had tuna for breakfast. When T-Bone and I went away for short trips, I had friends who would come over every morning to feed Weenie her tuna. And Weenie, being the sweet and gracious kitty that she was, managed to trap one of our friends in the bathroom. Our friend, Alison, could not get Weenie to move from the threshold of the bathroom. Weenie had this horrible hiss and scream that she would let out when she was upset (which was usually any time someone was in our home other than us). Alison, not knowing what to do, grabbed the hand towel from the towel rack and began swatting it at Weenie. As you can guess, that was not effective and Weenie only became more mad. Now Weenie didn't have front claws but she honestly did appear vicious when she was upset. So Alison used her cell phone to call another friend to our apartment. He arrived, distracted Weenie when he opened the front door and Alison was able to escape.

When I was pregnant with Tiara 1, everyone kept telling me that we needed to get rid of Weenie. They were certain she would be mean to the baby. But I knew she would love and accept the baby just as she did. When I was pregnant with both Tiaras, Weenie would lay against my huge belly and wait on the babies to kick. When the babies kicked, Weenie would paw at my belly playfully. She truly loved the Tiaras.

As the girls have grown, Weenie spent more time with them in their rooms. She would take turns sleeping on their beds during the night. She would wait on Tiara 2's pillow every night for the bedtime story. She really loved them. And they loved her.

Weenie loved to get into paper bags or the smallest boxes she could find. Remember, she was 20+ pounds so she really had to work to get her many rolls into small spaces. But she always managed. She gave us so many good laughs.

And two weeks ago today, we had to say goodbye. I'm still grieving but holding it inside as much as possible for the girls. Tiara 1 was rather matter of fact about the situation after the first day but in the last few days, she has really finally faced the reality that Weenie won't be back. She has cried so much in the past few days that her eyes are swollen. Tiara 2 grieved heavily for the first week. Then I found a stuffed animal cat in her closet that looks nothing like Weenie BUT Tiara 2 has named it Weenie anyway and it goes EVERYWHERE with her now. Tiara 1 tonight, between the tears, asked if she too could have a stuffed animal cat for her room. So if any of you know where I can purchase a stuffed animal cat that is a dark gray tabby color, please let me know. Tiara 1 would really appreciate it. And if it's overstuffed and comes in a box too small for it, that's even better.

And Weenie, thanks for the unconditional love and the wonderful memories. We'll always miss you, Beans.....