Requiem for an Extraordinary Cat

Thirteen years ago my husband and I were just getting over the loss of our almost 22-year-old tabby cat, Eleanor.  It took us almost two years to begin thinking about getting another cat. Part of this process involved me browsing the Web site of the West Shore Humane Society in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, trying on the idea of getting another cat.  This went on for several months until I happened on a particular photo of a half-grown cat named Addy.

I had a feeling about this kitty, her intelligent, inquisitive face and her beautiful markings attracted me and kept nagging at me until I had to broach the idea of going to see her with my husband.  Although he was not sure we were ready, he agreed that we could go see her.

We arrived at the shelter and went right to the cat room.  It was full of cats of all ages, each with a card on the cage providing what background information they had.  Many of the cats were strays, but a few had notations like "husband didn't want"  and several noted that the owner had passed away. It made us sad.

Alas, the kitty we had come to see was nowhere to be found.  So I went to the front desk and asked about Addy -- had she been adopted?  The young lady said, no, she was in the infirmary because she had a cold.  But we were welcome to see her and she was available for adoption. If we wanted her, they would send her home with medication.

They brought her to us in the hall outside the infirmary.  She was bright, fully engaged in looking around, and let me hold her without any problem.  As we were visiting with her a family came by who were looking for "a couple more cats" to add to a house with multiple dogs and cats.  They looked interested in her.  After a few minutes in the parking lot talking about her and worrying a bit about the family that had expressed interest, we marched right back in and adopted her on the spot.

And so, this extraordinary creature joined our family.  We read up about Domestic short hairs -- they're often described as calm but alert. Over the years she lived up to that reputation.  We thought long and hard about a name.  She was what is described as a marbled tabby, and her markings included two large round black markings on her flanks -- like moons. All of a sudden we thought of one of our favorite musicians, Ottmar Liebert, who plays with a group named Luna Negra (black moon in Spanish). The name fit her perfectly!

Luna Negra slowly warmed up to us and became an important member of the family. We trained her to go outside on a leash --she even caught a mouse in the garden while she was on the leash.  But most of the time she was content to look out the windows. She particularly enjoyed watching the birds at the bird feeder and finding perches on kitchen cabinets and other high places.

When we moved from Pennsylvania to Washington state, Luna made the trip in the car, mostly sleeping on the seat next to me.  She would look out the window occasionally, but mostly slept her way to Washington. Of course, she checked out every motel room thoroughly.

She enjoyed the yard at the new house, which was fenced with a tall board fence.  She kept me company when I was in the garden.  She got adventurous several times, until she discovered that the yards on either side of us were populated with large dogs.

When we moved to College Place, she became an indoor cat. We live adjacent to a park, with an unfenced yard and a hill full of blackberries. Coyotes and raccoons are regular visitors in the area.  She didn't seem to mind, she had a great view of the pond and ducks below us and the bird feeder (we call it "kitty TV") provided lots of entertainment.  She established a new routine. As soon as we got up she jumped up on her kitty perch for her morning treats, then visited the bathroom for a fresh drink of running water provided by one of us.Then it was back to our bed for a morning nap, curled up in the blankets.  After that, she was ready for a nice brushing, maybe batting around a few balls and toys, then another nap in one of her three kitty beds.

As she aged, there were increasing health issues. They detected a heart murmur, and we took her to the fine veterinary hospital at  Washington State University to be evaluated, and they followed up yearly along with her caring vet, Dr. Lori Pritchett here in Walla Walla.  She was also developing arthritis. In 2012 she began losing weight and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. We had a choice of giving her medication daily or taking her up to WSU to have her thyroid irradiated, followed by at least a one-week quarantine until the residue from radiation was at a safe level.  We chose the latter, and it worked well -- she began gaining weight. The vet put her on pain medication for her arthritis, which seemed to help. We added steps so she could get up to our bed and the bathroom sink. Still, she was clearly aging, and spent more and more time sleeping.  She snuggled up with us in bed at night to get her head scratched and her belly rubbed.  Of late, however, she seemed needier than usual, and she was clearly increasingly bothered by her arthritis which concerned us.  She moved slowly, but her appetite was good and she was fully engaged with her big cats (us).

Last Friday Luna followed her usual routine, giving lots of love, taking naps, and asking for dinner.  She finished all her dinner, visited with us, then disappeared.  A little later we noticed she hadn't returned to hang out with us in the living room (her usual evening spot). We found her curled up in a cardboard box. She was gone. 

We don't know what caused her passing.  It's quite possible that her heart simply gave out at age 14. What we do know is that our wonderful family member, our fur person, went quietly into that good night.  We know we were so lucky to have her company over the years, but that doesn't ease the pain of missing her. We weren't ready to say good bye. We miss the meows, the purrs, her vocal communications of all sorts. We miss the snuggles, the "nosies" she gave us when we gave her water in the bathroom sink.  We miss snuggling in bed with her, the times when she'd take a nap in our laps.  We see and hear her around every corner, wait to see her pop up on the top stair from the basement and peer around the corner to see where we are.  There have been a lot of tears in our house since Friday. We'll be all right for awhile, then it catches up with us again. All of you who have loved and lost pets know how we feel.

Goodnight and goodbye, sweet Luna. You will always be in our hearts.

Looking at Clouds

An interesting sky tonight, which makes me wish I knew more about cloud formations. But now I have that Joni Mitchell song, "Both Sides Now" running through my head:

 Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way
But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Duck, Duck, Goose and More

Duck diversity                                                                                                        © Diane B. Reed

Last year, several yellow ducklings appeared at the pond. They might have been Easter gifts that were later unwanted. We didn't hold out much hope for them because their bright color, unlike the Mallard ducklings, made them an easy target. But they made it, and turned into lovely white ducks. Now, they have families of their own, and daddy is a Mallard. One of the white ducks has a full genetic range of ducklings (above) -- three yellow babies, four typical Mallard ducklings, and one in between.

© Diane B. Reed

After several years of nesting unsuccessfully, a pair of Canada geese produced five goslings which they showed off in the pond. The arrival of our neighborhood Osprey was met with suitable vigilance, including attacking him when he dove for a fish.

Diving Osprey                                               © Diane B. Reed

The Osprey is one of our favorite visitors to the pond and seems to know that it's stocked with trout for the annual youth fishing derby. Because the pond has filled in with silt, the fish tend to be closer to the surface and easier for him to catch.

Song Sparrow poses with the arbor bird             © Diane B. Reed

Below is of one of our neighborhood Song Sparrows who uses a metal arbor in the yard as his lookout for intruders in his territory. The metal birds on the arbor are just his size, but he doesn't seem to mind them.

Hanford Reach Wildflowers

Rattlesnake Mountain at Hanford Reach                                                                © Diane B. Reed

An hour and a half northwest of Walla Walla, you'll find one of the most remote places in Washington, Hanford Reach National Monument. The Reach was part of the original land acquired as a buffer for the Manhattan Project in 1943. It includes several different "Units" which surround the Hanford Site. The Monument, 196,000 acres, includes some of the last shrub-steppe habitat in the state. Parts of the Monument are open to the public, but much of it is not accessible to the public. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers occasional tours for a limited number of people. This spring they offered a lottery for a tour of the Fitzer/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve to view the spring wildflowers. We felt very lucky to get seats on the small bus for the three-hour tour.

Balsamroot at Hanford Reach                                        © Diane B. Reed

It was a windy day, with rain showers skirting the reserve, but we were able to see Rattlesnake Springs and remnants of ranches that predate 1943. To lessen the impact on the site, the bus stopped in two locations that are not culturally sensitive, and we had an opportunity to see the spring wildflowers.

Wild Phlox                                                                              © Diane B. Reed

 Over the next few weeks the lupine will come into full flower, a few were just beginning to bloom. These are just a few of the flowers that dot the shrub-steppe. If you were driving past the field you might miss some of these tucked into the sagebrush.


For more information on the Reach, visit
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Hanford_Reach

Lomatium gone to seed                                                           © Diane B. Reed

Piper's Fleabane                                                                                              © Diane B. Reed

Snow Days

 Birds waiting for a spot at the feeder                                      © Diane B. Reed

Winter has arrived in all its glory. The snow started yesterday, paused for a few hours, then gifted us with 4 inches of fluffy, sparkling snow overnight. Everyone is shoveling, plowing and snow-blowing, though a second and third wave of snow is expected tonight and tomorrow.

Cedar Waxwings looking for berries  © Diane B. Reed

For the birds, finding food is the top priority. A flock of Cedar Waxwings stopped by, stripping berries from the tree across the street. The birds are queuing up for the bird feeder and the ground feeders are scratching around in the fluffy snow for seeds that have been dropped. It's a hard time of the year for the birds, if you have a feeder don't forget to fill it!

We feel pretty lucky that we were able to make a recent driving trip to Denver and back without any serious snowstorms. In fact, the worst weather we encountered was in the Blue Mountains -- dense fog and icy patches. Hit that coming and going.

Snowy landscape at the pond                             © Diane B. Reed

So we plan to enjoy the snowy weather. It's beautiful and much needed. Precipitation is significantly down here and in the West. Our farms and vineyards will need the water this summer, so bring it on!