TRIBUTE TO JESSIE
It was a nice morning but by early evening was a nightmare……
Late August 2002 a lovely big black and white cat was hanging about the garden: it was you. You were clean, didn’t look very hungry. You came in, ate and went out again. … We had a kennel we put by the conifers; you slept in there until one morning it was cool I said ‘Come on in then’ and you did. … You settled in; you thought the cat flap was great and the garden, climbing on the garage roof. Sometimes we could not find you - no need to worry though, you were taking a snooze in the garden. You and Lucy even sat on the bed together. A lot has happened in 6 years; I lost my dad and Lucy died (read about her in DF 18).
Then I fell and broke my leg and had to sleep down stairs so you did too. And when we moved back up you did too. I have MS so we thought it might be for the best if we moved somewhere with no steps. The last Summer before we moved you loved it in the garden; we lived near two busy roads but that didn’t worry you. … Two years ago we moved to a pleasant area – quiet with a cricket field just in front, no main roads except for a sneaky lane running down the edge of the cricket field. … After a week you ventured out … you were finding your feet and exploring; didn’t take too long to find that lane …it’s only a narrow lane; we went down a passage there was a fence and over you popped looking mischievous and happy as if to say ‘You’ve caught me haven’t you?’
On a warm night you’d disappear over the lane to catch a mouse, sometimes bring one back to play with or we would watch you chasing flies. The lady next door warned us, she said ‘I hope Jessie is alright, I’ve watched her cross that road.’
Maybe if I myself had just gone to the road and watched for five minutes, things would be different - you would have stayed in. Having come from 2 busy main roads it was quiet here; we didn’t see the danger. …
Spring was round the corner … when you came in you always looked happy and fresh with the wind having been in your fur. We came home about 5pm, you ate your tea; you wanted more but we were watching your weight. You were playful that night and you went to the door to go out about 7pm. Sometimes you’d go out when it was dark for a while, you’d like that.
It was about 7.30 when I heard a cat calling …never thought it could be you. You were under a hedge crying in the garden. Somehow you had got yourself through the gate. We were very careful when we picked you up. We put you on a blanket and took you to the Emergency vet where they gave you pain killers, fluids and oxygen. It was terrible – it wasn’t really happening. Next morning you had an x-ray but what they found was too bad to operate on; it was your pelvis. Although I tried for you my darling they said it would be kinder to go to sleep while under the anaesthetic. It’s awful, nothing seems real. I miss you so much my big cuddly black and white cat Jessie I love you. It’s unbearable especially on a morning when I wake up and you’re not there next to me.
Jessie you were a quiet understanding and very knowing pussy cat. You kept yourself to yourself a lot except when you wanted attention and you would do Jessie bumps on our legs or paddle the carpet. Thank you for coming into the garden that evening and being our friend. You would have lived to be an old lady but for that road. If a hungry cat comes into your garden feed him or her they could turn out to be your best friend like Jessie.
Jessie we will meet again, this time no cars. It’s awful without you every day we miss you so very much. I love you for ever and ever you are always in our hearts. We miss you so very much, you were my best friend Jessie and all I know is my heart is broken.
Love mum, dad and Mark xxxx
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Our deepest sympathy to Celia Francis and family in their loss, and also to the family of Rosie, whose tragedy Celia personally witnessed less than a week after losing Jessie.
And over the road lives a beautiful little tabby cat called Rosie 1 year old. I bent down to stroke her; a car came -it scared her she jumped out in front of the car and was thrown into the air like a rag doll right in front of me. Poor Rosie, it was awful; she died instantly. The 2 little girls who Rosie belonged to were sobbing and crying. We picked her up and gave her to her mum; the man had stopped, he took them straight to the vet but it was too late – that was just less than a week after losing you Jessie. … When one experiences picking up your beloved injured pet from under a bush and less than a week later to pick up a little pussy cat in front of 2 sobbing little girls it’s a shock to the system.
Love to the 2 little girls across the road who lost their beloved little Rosie. They are so upset it was awful for them to watch.
BOOK REVIEW
Cat Fables
by Vernon Coleman
Vernon Coleman has produced another delightful book, which will appeal to cat lovers and other uprights (the feline term for ‘human’). It gives, as Vernon says in his dedication, ‘an insight into the special world cats inhabit’ and much more besides. This book is the ideal birthday or seasonal gift for the ‘cataholic’ in your life.
Vernon introduces us by means of lovingly crafted words and exquisitely drawn ‘catoons’ to a wide variety of felines, all with different looks and temperament. Those of us who share our homes with cats will easily recognise the inquisitive Maisy and Daisy (indoor cats who moved to a house with a lawn with heavenly smells to explore – and then noticed that next door’s lawn was even greener….. but was it better?) Kind old Tinker who trained Charlotte in ‘the gentle art of sitting on a lap’ (apparently it’s not as easy as it looks!) Scoobie the ‘calendar girl’ whose vanity almost lost her all her friends; the ingenious Pickles who discovered how to find sunlight on a rainy day in January; Frank the bully; timid cats reluctant to lose face in front of the gang; law-abiding cats like Ollie, whose rebellious streak was encouraged by his friends Hetty and James who showed him that ‘Sometimes a cat has just got to do what a cat’s got to do’ and cats who boast that they have no fear – until suddenly…..? Each adventure has a different mood, lighthearted, funny, poignant – with a moral to match:
No-one is fearless. Everyone is afraid of something. If you think you’re going to fail then you will almost certainly fail. If you think you will succeed…well, at least you’ll have a chance.Listening is one of the most potent forms of communication.
It’s not what you cost that matters. It’s what you’re worth.
My particular favourite is ‘Princess Graceful and the Prince of Charms’ – the moral of which is:
‘The only way to get a cat to do what you want it to do, is to……………’
Sorry, to find out the answer, you will have to buy the book! (Details in the Resources section at the end of this newsletter).
Your Letters ………..……” *
Following Linda Bodicoat’s sponsorship of the last edition of DF in memory of her dog, Tam, another reader, who prefers to remain anonymous, sent a generous donation, for which we are most grateful:
Here is the money for the next issue of Departed Friend. This is just my way of saying thank you for comforting so many people who have lost their animals. In our sad and sick society today a lot of people don’t even think animals are worth grieving for – but then those people are the losers as they will never have known the joy that the unconditional love of a pet brings.
Anon.
DF is unique and must comfort so many people…… I print if off immediately it’s in my emails and send it on to around a dozen other people and I know that some of them send it on as well.
Lynn R
Canine Health Concern
(Our thanks to CK & A Yoe and Josie Sutherland for information about this website).
Canine Health Concern was formed in 1994 by Catherine O’Driscoll, after two of her beautiful young Golden Retrievers – Oliver and Prudence – tragically died. She asked, ‘why?’ and the answers that came back were sufficiently disturbing to make her feel that independent research was necessary – free from commercial bias. Catherine was sent scientific papers which told her that commercial pet food was nutritionally inadequate, and that many deficiency diseases are the direct result of poor feeding. She also learnt that the annual shots we give to our pets each year, in the belief that we are protecting them from disease, are actually the largest cause of ill health in our pets today. CHC advocates real food for dogs. There is a wealth of information on the website, pertaining not only to canine health and wellbeing, but also of benefit to cats, humans and other animals. Healing and stress-busting techniques are explored. However, the purpose of the website is not to preach, but to empower us to do the best we can for our animals and make our own judgements from a point of knowledge. It is not an ‘alternative’ but encourages us to work with and alongside the veterinary profession. This website is well worth a visit:
http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk
For postal, email and contact details, please see the Resources Page.
St Francis and the Pigeon
In the previous issue of Departed Friend, I told of my experiences in the weeks immediately following Tam’s death . . .
Just when all seemed to be returning to normal . . . I went out into the garden early one evening to find an exhausted young racing pigeon sitting on the picnic bench right near to the house. It was immediately apparent that he had a superficial neck injury, consistent with a bird of prey attack. I quickly fetched a dish of food and water, and he soon found the courage and strength to venture over to eat and drink, before finally roosting in the guttering of the single story roof of the old kitchen.
Two days later, ‘Winkie’, as we named him, was showing no signs of leaving, so I contacted the Royal Racing Pigeon Association. (RPRA) Unfortunately, they advised that unless I could catch him and obtain the leg ring numbers, there was very little that they could do to help.
Winkie stayed with us for 10 days, watching and learning from the many visiting wild birds, and eventually joining them to feed from the bird tables. He appeared to be at ease in our presence, and although I was eventually able to make a note of the ring numbers on his leg, he remained sufficiently distant, so as to always avoid capture. He proved himself to be quite a character and posed for regular photo shoots! In fact, one of his favourite perching places so amused the RPRA, that Winkie was featured in The Pigeon Racing Weekly!
Winkie left at first light, one beautifully warm, sunny morning, just 10 days after he mysteriously appeared . . . His neck injury was healing nicely and he had spent the previous two days meticulously preening his feathers. When we rose that morning, he was gone . . . Winkie’s owners were eventually traced to their home in Yorkshire, but at the time of writing, sadly, Winkie is still missing; he’s never arrived home!
I like to think of him living free somewhere; following his instinct, and possibly helping to uplift the spirits of someone else who is grieving the loss of a special animal friend, by paying them a visit also.
The photographs I have of Winkie with St. Francis will remain a treasured reminder of a wonderful little friend, who enriched my life by his presence, no matter how brief his stay.
Linda J. Bodicoat
Award-winning American Christian journalist, Ray Waddle, also pays tribute to St Francis, in the following thought-provoking article which can be found at http://www.raywaddle.com/colview.asp?ID=117
(Our thanks to journalist Kathleen LaCamera for information about Ray Waddle and his writing).
I was on deadline once when a reader called, weeping, with an urgent question: “Do you think my Rudy is in heaven?” Rudy had died during routine surgery. His death was a shock. Rudy was only 8 years old. Rudy was a cocker spaniel.
We talked awhile. The church he attended was ominously silent about whether pets go to heaven. I didn’t know how to reassure him, but he sounded a little relieved when I noted a verse from Psalms 36: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens … you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.”
Do pets have souls? This week I wonder again. My ancient cat died Monday — just short of 21 years old. I’m dazed and saddened, but awed at her longevity. Molly lived to 100, in human years. She was queen of her little patch of the neighborhood for two decades. She outlasted the administrations of Reagan, Bush, Clinton and (almost) another Bush. She weathered the ’98 tornado (she was outdoors that afternoon) and condescended to accept a blended family of three other cats and a Corgi.
Next week is St. Francis’ feast day, and a handful of local churches will honor him by scheduling Blessing of the Animals services in October. The services address an overlooked corner of spirituality, the role of animals in the heavenly scheme of things. We took Molly to one in 1994; I like to think the spiritual vibrations she absorbed that afternoon added years to her life. It was, at least, a soulful experience to say official prayers surrounded by furry critters, not just us warring humans.
Do animals go to heaven? I’ve never heard a sermon on the subject. Some Christians will say it’s a frivolous question, smacking of paganism or animals rights militancy or “radical environmentalism.” They say it devalues the uniqueness of the human soul to assign similar value to animals. They protest too much.
The extraordinary life of St. Francis (1181-1226) contradicts these suspicions. He not only started an influential monastic order and spread a message of gospel simplicity across Europe. He not only popularized Christmas nativity scenes. He not only bore the mysterious stigmata, the wounds of the crucified Christ. He was also famous as a Christian ambassador to animal planet. According to his biographers, he made friends with any number of rabbits, frogs, insects, even wolves. In the Italian village of Pian d’Arce, he once preached to an assembly of crows and pigeons, reminding them to praise their Creator just as people do. This was no sentimental stunt. Francis had an overwhelming feeling for God as the source of all things. Love of creation meant keeping a mystical bond with it all.
It’s as if Francis had just walked off the ark with Noah after the Flood, and was deeply impressed to see the rainbow, God’s sign of a benign new relationship with Earth, “the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations.” (Genesis 9)
All were put into the same boat of God’s care. Some people insist only humans have souls because only humans have free will and need salvation. But animals care for their young, they suffer and die. They’re part of the creation story.
In America, 62 percent of households have pets (says the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association), up from 56 percent in 1988. Pets provide spiritual solace in a harsh world — affection, innocence, a link to mother nature. Animals show us grace and beauty; their wildness demands respect. I think of them as refugees from the original Garden, still carrying that aboriginal innocence. The fall of humanity wasn’t their fault, but they keep paying a price as victims of human violence.
Churches honor a saint next week who worshipped a biblical God big enough to include all creatures great and small in the divine mercy — a Creator vast enough to carry everything from past to present to future. Francis called all things his brothers and sisters, part of the family. It was a weary task to bury my loyal little feline friend this week, but I thought of the big family reunion that faith dares to hope for one day.
Ray Waddle
Do you have any thoughts you would like to contribute to our “Beliefs and Experiences” series? These can be written from your own perspective: whether faith-based, spiritual, non-religious or simply from personal experience.
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GOOD HOME URGENTLY NEEDED
For 2 semi-feral cats from the Luton area
If you can help, please ring Pam Price - 01582 612257
+ + + + + + + + + +
Louie’s memory lives on in cattoo
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Kathy Eustace was devastated when her Siamese cat, Louie, died of cancer and was determined to cherish his memory for ever – so she had his face tattooed on her leg. ‘Louie was such a special cat’, the 39-year-old said. |
| ‘When he died I was gutted, I couldn’t stop crying. It might sound silly but we walked together in life and now we can in death too. The tattoo artist made such a beautiful job of it. I feel happy every time I look at it.’ Tattooist Nick Reid, who did the portrait of three-year-old Louie said: ‘Kathy was a lovely person. It was obvious that she really loved her cat and wanted the tattoo for all the right reasons.’ Ms Eustace, from Islington, North London, now has a new cat called Theo – named after the Arsenal and England footballer, Theo Walcott. Article by Jo Steele, Metro, 14.07.08 | |
PETS IN PARADISE
Pets in Paradise is a wonderful resource owned and run by Carol and Ian Wallace. They have an astonishing range of coffins, caskets for ashes and pet memorials, of high quality at affordable prices. As well as the more conventional slate, stone and marble memorials, wood and metal grave and plot markers, they offer portraits of your pet (done from a photograph of your choice) or delightful ‘Paw Print Clouds’ – glass keepsakes with an inscription chosen by you. The organisation blends professionalism with a very personal service, which is of great comfort at a time of loss. You can order online or by telephone (details in the Resources section) or if you have a query just fill in the Call Back Request and they will phone you back. They truly understand the needs of bereaved owners:
Cynics may scoff at our wish to commemorate our departed friends in this way, or frown with disdain at the whole pet bereavement industry. But I believe they are seriously misguided. All species are interconnected and there is an ever-growing bank of scientific evidence about the benefits to human health of interacting with companion animals, the strength of the bond – and the loss we suffer when it is severed.
Pets in Paradise has a page of poetry dedicated to our lost loved ones and a page of testimonials.
When Eric died, I ordered a small marker to go in the garden where he is buried. I was very impressed with the speed of delivery and of its quality when it arrived. I emailed to express my appreciation, just in case there was a ‘real person’ the other end. Imagine my surprise and delight when Carol answered in person, saying how pleased she was that I was so impressed with the marker. I will always remember her genuine concern and thoughtfulness; it brought me a little bit of light at a very dark time.
Debby.
Filed under: No. 32 Sep '08
