Missing Missy

How fast time goes by, and how suddenly things can change. One summer afternoon in 2004 our lives changed when I saw a lovely young cat standing in our backyard, looking right at our door. I opened the door and she walked right in. Thank God! She fit right into our furry family. I loved her pretty striped fur, pale green eyes, and basketball-orange nose! She was our youngest cat at the time so she could tease Angel and Manna into playing.

But she spent most of her time with the dogs, Sugarbaby and Julienne. She would jump over the baby gate (used until Julienne was housebroken) to spend the day playing with them. 

She enjoyed racing up and down stairs and wrestling with anyone who would take her on. If nobody would, she wasn't afraid to go looking for a little trouble!

When we moved into the RV full-time in 2009, Missy was right there with us. 

She was fine with living in the RV, if only it would stay in one place! Poor Missy got car-sick at the start of every long trip. But after we parked she'd settle right in... usually on Randy's lap. In most photos of Missy in the RV, that's where she is. 

 Or anywhere near him. 

I never saw her fight with the dogs yet her relationship with them was exactly whatever she decided it would be. She never had any conflicts with Sugarbaby but occasionally she liked to remind Julienne who was boss. Julienne would always move out of the way if Missy stared at her, even ceding Randy's warm lap to the cat's silent demands.

Even Randy could fall victim to her mysterious cat power. 

When we lost Sugarbaby and took Shorty in, she accepted him but she was at an age where she didn't initiate play as much. Shorty didn't care - he teased her or napped with her, as the moment called for. Once, having seen her prized spot in the RV window, he decided it was a good spot for him!

He couldn't keep it, though. She made him so uncomfortable that eventually he gave it up, and then she got even with him by sitting right next to his toy. He just couldn't get the nerve to take it away from her! 

We eventually settled in Florida, where our little pack continued to live and nap together. 

Sometime I think Missy thought of herself as a dog with special cat powers. She would line up for treats with the doggies.

Sometimes she even joined them when they were getting ready to go outside, although she never wanted that enough to wear a leash. 

Besides never moving, the house had the additional bonus of a Randy-created window seat that overlooked the canal, where birds and alligators kept her entertained. 

Napping replaced stair-running as her her favorite sport, and she became an expert at it. 

Then, one sad day, there was just Missy and Shorty. 

We all felt the difference but carried on, loving each other. When Missy got bored, she still stole Shorty's toys and he still whined about it. 

Missy created her own daily habits. She got up with Randy at 5 am, had a bit of breakfast, then sat on his lap or next to him. In the evening she went to bed when he did but if I stayed up late, she would get out of bed and come sit by me on the sofa. She just liked to be near whoever was up. 

She loved to sleep right between our pillows, so we got in the habit of leaving a space for her there. Sometimes when I came to bed Missy would roll over and start kneading my hair, purring very loudly - loud enough to wake Randy! She could continue this for up to an hour, long after I wanted to go to sleep. I didn't stop her, though; I knew it someday I would miss it. 

Her feeding routine included cat food and Friskies Treats, so we mixed them together. It didn't work; she would eat just the treat, then demand more. She got arthritis so we gave her turmeric and glucosamine every morning; I was so under her spell that I would set it right next to her, propped up so she didn't even have to get up! 

She always loved sitting with Randy. In spite of the fact that he's always warm and we live in Florida, he would put a fluffy blanket on his lap for her to cuddle into, and they would watch TV together. 

Then, quite suddenly, our Baby Girl's health broke down and she wasn't enjoying life anymore. After 16 years together, we had to let her go. 

Sixteen years is a very long time to be in love. Suddenly all the things we've shared for so long - a space on the bed, treats and medicine, purrs and kneading - all gone. No warm bundle of fur to greet us in the morning or sit with us in the evening. She trusted us to do right by her so we had to, but it's so very hard. I guess the only thing harder would be not having had her in our lives to love. We will always be missing you, Missy, until we meet again.