Sunday, August 26, 2012

i guess i can't avoid this any longer. friday was a sad day around here. we had to bury our little thieving cat, crabby. she died in her sleep on the neighbor's porch. she had come home the night before. jumped up on the windowsill in the kitchen to eat and drink. i thought that maybe she was coming out of her strange wild phase that she's had for the past few summers. and was coming back home like she's been doing every fall. but i suppose she was coming home to say goodbye.
tom left work.....i hated texting him the words 'crabby's dead'. but that's all i could get out. i was sitting on the front stoop of the studio with her wrapped in a blue towel, on a green wooden chair, with a little tortie foot peeking out. the mid afternoon sun baking down on us. feeling empty and sad. and then tom was there, lifting her and carrying her to the crabapple tree. he knew just what to do. where to put her. under her favorite bench, under her favorite tree. it was a hot humid day and he dug through the hard earth, digging through roots with sweat dripping off his nose. and then he went hunting through her pilfered stash to find the perfect one of her stolen treasures to keep her company. a little knit purple and white rabbit. and
one of the last of her gifts, a yellow plastic rose that she left in the back of the yard about a month ago, sits on her grave with a heavy gravestone.
i haven't been able to write on her blog yet.....i feel like there is more of her story to tell. although the stolen treasures have stopped arriving in the yard, i think her gifts will continue.

39 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to you at the loss of this precious member of your family.

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    1. thank you karin....she was quirky and wierd, like me, and we'll miss her

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  2. Thinking of you with tears in my eyes and laughter in my heart from all the Crabby tales.

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    1. awww, deb. thanks. she was such a funny little creature. she'll be missed by so many people.

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  3. So sorry to hear that...cats are so independent that they don't like to let see thier last time, I've heard. I hav a dog and used to have former one. She died at 17yeras old in almost my arms.It was difficut time I remember. Probablry many good memories about Crabby will spring out of your mind later on.

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    1. you are right haricot.....she was so independent and she died in her own way. you know it's hard to lose a pet. we had her for 12 years, although i think she was 4 or 5 when we adopted her. she is missed.

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  4. I'm sorry--I know how hard that is. The grave sounds so sweet. What a character she was! Like a picture book cat.

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    1. exactly what tracy wants me to do, jen. a picture book indeed. she was something special. and i keep thinking i see her coming down the path when i see one of the other cats in the yard.

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  5. You know me Annette, I take news in as I can process and crabby's passing is sinking in. I will really miss her magical gifts and happy presentation as she returned each time with her treasures. The loud insisting cries, her begging for everyone to have a look at her latest haul. She was a special one and her tales will be told for years to come.
    Txo

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    1. thank you for reminding me of the cries. please keep reminding me of all the little details that i might forget....we will write her story. i promise!

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  6. oh, I'm so sorry. it was a blessing you had her in your life for as long as it lasted.

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    1. oh, petra, thank you. she was a nutjob for sure.....but that's partly why she was loved like she was and why she'll be so missed.

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  7. I was just thinking about Crabby a couple of days ago and wondering if she was still thieving. I'm so sorry and so sad...I'd come to love her too. I always got a good chuckle when you posted her recent finds that she brought home. Sigh....

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    1. i know, kris. it's going to be quite a while before i can go into the yard without wondering what i'll find from crabby. she had sloweddown int he heat of the summer. and had slowed down in general. but it still feel empty. thank you for loving her!

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  8. This is really sorry to hear Annette. Thinking of you

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    1. thank you, sweet demie. she sure was nutty and crazy and adorable.

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  9. I am sorry that you have lost Crabby Annette - her personality will always live on in your hearts. She was a unique little cat, she was her own person, and lived life in the way she wished and wanted.

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    1. rosemary...thank you. it makes me glad that her presence and her wierd little ways have a worldwide audience. how special.

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  10. dear Annette,many of us out here have giggled and smiled reading Cribby's tales, she was quite a personality and a joy to have in your life, and i think she had a good life there with you and Tom, the memory will be cherished, take care, x

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    1. renilde....i think all she wanted to do in her little life was give. and steal, i guess....but she brightened alot of people's days. and thank you for your kind words.

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  12. I 'm so dreadfully sorry for your loss, I must this though, I feel honered to have you as a blogging friend, you and tom are good people, really good ones, to have the respect for you feline frined in death is just wonderful.We share this respect and love for our feline and canine friends, I understand your grief,

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    1. laurie....what a lovely thing to say. thank you. we miss her and feel like she had a special little spot in many people's lives. not many cats are so universally missed.
      and i'm very glad to have found you in this little blogging world of ours.

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  13. I'm so sorry to hear about losing your kitty, so sad. Please accept empathy and sympathy and long distance hugs. It's so hard to lose a pet, especially one as uniquie and strong willed as Crabby. I'm sorry for your loss.

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    1. thank you carol, for your thoughtful words. it's almost been a week now, and it feels really empty knowing she's not around.

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  14. Light and love to you.... and time. Time the great healer. ♥♥♥

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    1. thank you ange..... thank you for your kindness and sweet words.

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  15. I am so sorry and sad. I am glad you shared her stories with us. What a great life she had and a great family. She is definitely the most interesting cat I have ever known. I love that picture of her- so determined. She will be remembered.

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    1. thank you lisa.....craziest cat ever. for sure. and that picture is so completely her. i took it in june. she looks great...just a couple of months ago.
      xoxoxoxo

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  16. This is so sad... I am happy though that she had you guys, to feed her and care for her in her wild journey.

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  17. So sad and I am sorry. She was one of the luckiest cats on earth as you were the ones to care for her and you were so fortunate to have her - she looks wild and gorgeous. She will remain in your memory. Take care, Christa

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    1. thank you christa....everyone's kindness is so heart warming. and you pegged her right....wild and gorgeous.
      xoxo

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  18. I am so very sorry for you loss. I know in my heart that she was a very lucky Kitty-Cat to have you as a Mama.

    My love to you & your family.

    Big Hug,
    e

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    1. thank you so much elizabeth. it's wonderful to have such caring people on here. we were lucky to have her and all her craziness!

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  19. I'm crying. I am so sorry for your loss. Our old kitty, Max, is out under the persimmon tree with a big rock for his headstone. For a long time after Max passed away both my husband and I would think we would catch brief glimpses of him in the hall out of the corner of our eye. I guess he just must have been on our minds at some level.

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    1. oh susie...it's been a week. a week and a day. and i keep thinking i see her too. in all her favorite spots. i'm sorry for your loss of max too...
      thank you for your kindness.

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  20. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of Crabby! I had not been aware of her presence but just looked at the blog you started for her. What a distinctive and unusual cat. I have never heard of such a thing! So determined and creative. oh my, this is very bittersweet to get to meet her at this point. I know you will miss her terribly.

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  21. deborah, thank you! she was an odd little creature. but she lived on her own terms. and i think she was happy. and she will very much be missed.

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