Lucky

She found me on a cold, rainy day in November 1999. I was working at Honeywell located on 28th Street and 4th Avenue out on a smoke break on 4th Avenue. A car was stopped at the light that would take a right on 28th Street. When the light changed and the car had left I noticed something in the street where the car had been. A beautiful, young Maine Coon cat was sitting there. I went in to the street, picked her up and pressed her to my shoulder. She was frightened, wet and shivering. I had just started this job but had to request some time off to take this beautiful girl home. The woman whom I had been smoking with offered us a ride home. I had to put her in the bathroom and shut the door because we had one other furry family member. I was quite worried that she’d be even more frightened being stuffed into a room in a strange home after her ordeal.

It’s lucky that she was not injured by the vehicle that she had been in. Fate brought us together. A few minutes earlier or later for that smoke break and I would not be sharing this story about this lovely lady. We named her Lucky because of what had transpired.

She became Tianna’s buddy. Sleeping with her, hanging out with her, helping her to feel better on bad days and doing all the wonderful things that kitties do.
After Tianna had left home Lucky slept in the hallway by her bedroom door for a year and a half missing her friend.

Lucky was never a lap cat until she decided it would be the good thing to do near the end of her days. I will tell you that she was a wonderful mother to our Loki cat who felt that it was not his job to clean his back side. She would follow him around, give him a smell and take care of it. She also would protect me by chasing Loki away if he ever threatened me.

She was not big on toys but did love to play in the yard retrieving small branches, running around in circles chasing one if you made circles and doing a 180 degree turn in the blink of an eye if you reversed the path of the branch. Indoors she loved to hold wash cloths and be a surrogate mother to a Barbie Doll for a while and then turned her affection to a Ken Doll by laying on an ottoman on her side with Ken between her front legs and his head by her face. She also stood on 2 legs for treats. A real star.

In her final days she had a massive weight loss due to hyperthyroidism, possibly a few strokes, walked around in circles and stared at walls. We had taken her to the vet based on the weight loss but things had progressed too far. We tried to make her as comfortable as possible by petting her a lot, holding her, wrapping her, keeping her in front of a warm vent and sleeping with her.

It came to a point where she would no longer eat or drink but I found it hard to euthanize her based on her will to live. She was so determined to do the things that she normally used to do that she would crawl out of bed and try to stand.

I have the utmost admiration for her strength and determination to keep going and could not take the life of one I love who was quite adamant about not being ready to go. It was painful for all of us but I have nothing but respect for this beautiful soul who is loving, sweet, caring, funny and protected us. She gave us so much and we owe her so much. She taught me things about life and death.

I am honored to know her, that she chose me for this adventure, that she will always and forever be my friend and I hers and that I am so fortunate for having met such a beautiful heart and that she shared her life with us.

Beautiful in Life and Death.

You could not find a better friend.

I will always love her and forever miss her.

Goodbye Lady Lucky