Momma Kitty

I know I am behind in posts but this one takes precedence. Momma Kitty chose Brent some 15-16 years ago. She had 5 kittens and decided to take them all up to the second floor deck of Brent's apartment at the time. She picked the right person. Brent and I were either friends or dating at the time (I don't remember) and we were very creative with naming the 6 kittens - not so much with Momma since Brent didn't think he would be keeping her so she just got the name Momma Kitty. Well she stayed and moved with Brent as he left NC to move to SW VA and back to NC again. She was a great, gentle kitty. For much of the time that she was with Brent/us she was a pudgy sort with disproportionately short legs. She was always happy to be pet, purring all the while. She loved sunning outside or in - but especially outside even with the temperatures blazing hot! She tolerated us, kids and other kitties (Gabriel, Velcro and Edgar). She was great the with kids - tolerating their pulls of her tail and not so gentle petting - although as she aged you could tell she wasn't comfortable all the time. B/c of Momma Kitty's name Hannah started calling me Momma Sara :) Sam loved looking for Momma and making the adorable sound that he makes when he says kitty-kitty-kitty, which comes out "kee-gah, kee-gah".

3 years ago as we anticipated Hannah's birth she started losing weight and after some visits to the vet, she was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor and was given 3 months to live. She certainly surpassed that expectation. Unfortunately it appears she has used up her nine lives - Momma Kitty passed away overnight. She had been acting sluggish the last couple of days but we thought initially that was due to the cold spell we have been having lately. This morning I found that she had had an accident in our bathroom near her water bowl - this never happened before. We couldn't find her initially - I had a conference to head to - but Brent continued to look. He found her under our bed. It breaks my heart that we weren't with her but I find comfort that it appears she passed peacefully and that she tried to get as close to us as she could. She will be sorely missed, although we take comfort in knowing she doesn't hurt anymore. We will miss her purrs, her constantly being under foot, her curiosity of the kids and so many things. We buried her today and had a little service for her, doing our best to explain the situation to the kids.