She is the first cat I fostered. I found her at a breeder in Aurora Oregon. She was a Seal Point Himalayan cat who lived with me for 17 years and passed away on January 8, 2007. It was expected because the year before she would not walk on the hard bamboo floor. She stayed upstairs on the carpet. Then the week before she died, she did not want to walk anywhere. I moved her into the guest bathroom with her bed, litter box, food and water. It was where she decided to live in that one room with door open. She could no longer hop out of her cardboard box (her special place) so I had to cut an opening. I put paper hand wipes at the litter opening because she could place her paws in the opening but nothing more. I would visit her after work for an hour or more. The day before she died I came home to find her collapsed with her head in her water dish causing it to tilt and drain out all the water. Speaking softly to her, I placed her in her bed and she moved a little to get more comfortable. There wasn't much of her since she stopped eating 3 days prior and before that she was eating less each day, she just drank water. I told her it was okay no need to feel shame... Hannah started to purr. She was a good girl. After an hour of talking to her she closed her eyes and took a nap. The day of her death I came home and spoke to her as I lifted her off her bed. She did what all animals/humans do at time of death, muscles relax and they pee.
She waited until I came home and died in my arms and pee'ed.
That too was okay.
I cried... She was my companion.
I buried her with her favorite catnip mouse, as a pillow, which she played with it since she was a kitten.
