It seems like a year since I last wrote. I suppose that is because it nearly has been and truth be told, there is so much to say. The past year has been full of change and all the new possibilities that life brings with it as you get older and start to actually realize your potential. Today, however, I want to pay tribute to a friend I have had for a long time. She has been with me for 7 years which in cat years really isn't that long but when I think about the last 7 years, I can't help but feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for the time we spent together.
Mishka came to me while I was teaching Kindergarten in Watsonville. I saw a mouse run across my kitchen while my amazingly kind and overly gentile dog merely watched. Not knowing how to deal with mice, I walked into the school office and asked my work colleagues what they would do. The mother of one of my favorite students laughed and actually said, "I have kittens in my car! Do you want one?" To which I replied an immediate "Yes!" It didn't take long before I saw that mouse strung out dead in the middle of my kitchen. For such a tiny sensitive kitten, she sure had a thing against unwanted guests. Mishka quickly found her way into the coziness of our family. She would lay on top of Ceili while they slept. When Ceili felt her presence had been a little too much, she would grab her by the scruff and carry her into the kitchen where Mishka would immediately run back to the couch where I was sitting only to continue the game. She slept directly on top of you if you found your way onto any soft surface in the house.
When I moved out of Santa Cruz, Mishka came to live in Fresno with my mom. She was then blessed with the opportunity of being an indoor and an outdoor cat. While the outdoors didn't really interest her all that much, and other cats were certainly not her cup of tea, she did enjoy knowing she had the opportunity if she wanted it. After I moved into an apartment community near SF State, my problem with mice reared its ugly head again. I know it sounds like I am a dirty person, but the truth is, mice are sometimes hard to avoid without the proper defense system in place. So, I called in my Special Ops. Sargent, Mishka Bear Monahan. The best part of Mishka hunting mice as a grown up cat was that she had learned to clean up after herself. A couple of days under Mishka's watch and I found 2 mice in the litter box. Not only had she committed the clean kills, she had buried them appropriately. I believe that shows heart. She was not without mercy.
So, now to the sad news and I don't want to dwell on this part because I really do want to celebrate the life she had, not the one she ended up with. Over Thanksgiving, I noticed she was limping. She had been living in Fresno at the time while I traveled for work. She had a spindle cell tumor growing on her elbow that progressed from the size of a peanut to the size of a tennis ball in just a couple weeks. The vet recommended amputation because the tumor hadn't spread and after some very thoughtful consideration, I decided that 3 legs was better then none and went through with the surgery. For a while, it seemed all was back to normal minus one needless limb. However, 2 months ago, she started coughing. It turns out the cancer had spread to her lungs. She was given 3 weeks, but she lasted until today. Today she lays here as nothing but fur and bones with labored breathing. The change just happened overnight and I can't bear to watch her suffer. I made an appointment for her at the vet to take her last step. I dug the grave and laughed about an old friend who thought her father had buried her childhood horse behind their house. I cried about the loss. I cried about how unfair this is. I laughed at the first time I saw her slowly move her way on top of my sleeping dog, and now I am writing about it. I suppose this is pretty angst.
Anyway, animals rarely get funerals. We all know they are so much more to us then pets, though. Mishka has been a great friend to me over the past 7 years and I am so sorry to see her go. If you have a free moment today, take a second to honor Mishka or any furry friend you may have lost. They do so much more for us then we could ever do for them and I just want everyone to know how grateful I am for the time I spent with my little bear.
I love you, Mishka. Whatever the next step on your path may be, I hope it somehow leads you back to a crossroads with me again someday.
