Weekend was a mix of feelings

We are on death watch.

Our calico cat, Gracie, is very near the end of her life. We watch her breathe, holding our own breath until we see her move. 

She has been going downhill for a while. We took her to the vet and were told that her problems were related to old age. It sounds like the same answer we get when we complain to our family doctor about some new and troubling symptom.

Saturday we went for a visit with my brother, David, and his wife, Apryl. They were camping at Apryl’s mom’s place. It seems that there was a block party on the street where David and Apryl live. They didn’t want any part of it so they told the organizers they had previous plans to go camping.

Apryl’s mom, Karen, has about 10 acres just outside of Eaton, Ohio. At least half of it is wooded. There is a nice walking path through the woods and a sandy beach where people can camp, play in the water or otherwise enjoy the outdoors. The beach is about the size of a large living room and is bordered by the creek. 

We stopped at Skyline Chili for lunch. Then we headed for Fort Saint Clair, intending to eat lunch at one of the many picnic tables. The place was packed. I think I saw a sign about a community garage sale but I’m not really sure what was going on. 

We drove on by and ended up at a tiny park. Actually, calling it a park is being generous. It is just off a side street and has a couple of parking spaces, a couple of picnic tables and a bench or two. The far side borders the golf course. 

The creek itself had been dammed up, dirt was piled here and there leaving few places for the geese to swim. The whole thing was designed by the resident geese who demanded food from anybody who showed the least bit of interest in them.

After lunch we headed to Karen’s. David was cleaning up the edges of the trail. He asked if I had ever seen the trail and I said I hadn’t. We were about halfway through the loop when we happened upon the swing. It had been set up in such a manner that one wrong move and it would end up in the creek.

I was suspicious when David told me to sit on it first and to hold onto the chain supporting the swing. Luckily, neither of us ended up in the creek. It was a beautiful afternoon. After a good visit, we headed home.

When we got home, we searched for the cat. I looked almost everywhere. She turned up behind the recliner and was tangled up in some computer cords. I untangled her and she didn’t even open her eyes or resist. I could feel her breathing but was convinced she wouldn’t make it through the night.

As I write this she is at my feet. She is on the edge of her blanket. It is increasingly difficult to tell if she is breathing or not. She gives no sign that she is in pain. We both know that the end is near. I’m not sure exactly how old she is but I think she is 19 or so. 

I thought I had finished this column but I was wrong. I looked down at Gracie and couldn’t see any movement. I held my hand on her, hoping to feel her breathing. I felt nothing. She was gone. We found a box for a casket and buried her out in the garden. There were no services.

I will spend the next few days cleaning up the space where her litter box was. There is quite a bit of soft white fur on her blanket and her food bowl is still in the kitchen. I’m sure there will be things I will find in the next few months that were hers.

The weekend was both good and bad. We had a nice visit with my brother and his family. We lost Gracie. Neither cancels out the other. Gracie will live on in my heart. I miss her already.