17th
February
Cayenne Stewart
by | Posted in Uncategorized 18 Comments »
On Sunday our baby Cayenne passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was a few months short of her seventeenth birthday. She had been staying with her grandparents while Ryan and I have been out of town, and had shown no signs of sickness or pain. We are heartbroken to lose her.
Cayenne was born in 1992 in Ballard to my friend Celeste’s cat. I was in fifth grade. It was love at first sight – on my side at least. When I first saw her she was still a blind newborn, an adorable tiny ball of fluff. Her beautiful cream-color fur set her apart from her four orange litter-mates. I was very impatient to take her home with me, and every day I had to wait for her to be weaned felt like an eternity!Bestowed with a title and a lengthy name, Duchess Cayenne Pepper Ginger Midnight quickly became a beloved part of our family, joining an older brother with a similarly burdensome moniker, Captain Shadow Ginger Dawn Midnight. Cayenne made a name for herself as a huntress, ridding the neighborhood of rats and keeping the bird population in check. I remember standing in the kitchen making my lunch for school early one morning when a bird flew into my leg, hotly followed by a speeding creamy blur.
Cayenne lived with my parents and her younger sister Mittens until May of last year, when she came to complete our little family after the loss of our beloved Shadow-Bear in April. She enjoyed family cuddles and would sit on my lap while I read. She was quite active, even with arthritis, and no ball of string was safe from her lightening-fast paws. When her daddy and I were out of town she had sleep-over visits with Mittens, with whom she took a nap every morning in the sun on her uncle Oliver’s bed.
Losing two babies within a year has been incredibly painful. I imagine them curled up together on a soft puffy cloud taking catnaps in the sun, just like they did when we were growing up. I miss both of them so much.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
*Big HUG*
February 17th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Sorry for your loss.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Oh, Ciara, how heartbreaking! I’m so so sorry to hear this.
February 17th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I’m so sorry to hear this. {{big hug}}
February 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Ciara – It’s just so awful. I’m heartbroken for you and will be thinking about you in the coming days.
{{HUGS}}
February 17th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I’m so sorry for your loss.
A moment in our lives, a lifetime in our hearts.
February 17th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
oh, I’m so sorry. Cayenne looks like such a sweetie. May she be happy in the great beyond of kitty heaven. I am convinced that our pets are waiting for us on the other side.
February 17th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
So sorry to hear about your loss, Ciara. A pet is a member of the family and we must grieve as such. Give yourself time to grieve and remember all the wonderful memories will stay with you forever. Big hugs!
February 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
She sounds like she was a wonderful friend for you all – and Mittens. And sixteen years is excellent for a cat, and I’m glad you had her as long as you did.
Will you be seeking another feline friend soon, or do you need some more time alone?
February 17th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I’m so sorry, hon. Know that they are together waiting for you on the Rainbow Bridge.
February 17th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Aw, honey. *big hugs* *sniffle*
February 17th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
WAHHHH! My condolences, Ciara! It’s never easy to lose a furbabe. She was a beautiful girl.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Lots of hugs!
February 19th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Big hugs to you.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I am so very sorry, Ciara.
February 21st, 2009 at 6:28 am
I’m so sorry, Ciara. I know how you feel. I lost two precious cats and still miss them both very much. Hugs.
February 21st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Thanks everyone. Your thoughts mean a lot to us. It’s sunny today and I just can’t help but think how she’d have loved to bask in it. We miss her!
February 26th, 2009 at 11:04 am
How sad! I remember Cayenne from our visit a few years ago. It is awful when they leave us. When our Kitten (who was very old, but always a kitten) died in Indiana, Uncle Ray was devastated. We both miss her but have decided we don’t need another pet at this time in our lives.
Love ya. Auntie Mary