Nana

Almost 19 years ago, we had an addition to our family - a kitten from the litter of my sister's friend's cat. This little ball of gray and brown fluff was dubbed "Sneakers" by my then-stepfather, but she soon became better known by the pet name I unconsciously bestowed upon her - Nana (pronounced "Nah-nah").

(As a side note - I seem to be ridiculously skilled at this unconscious re-naming - our dog Lily has grown far more accustomed to being called "Boots.")

Nana came into my life in 1992, nearly two decades ago. Obviously, she's seen a lot over the years...she was my best friend long before I even had my first kiss, and now I'm an old married lady living 3,000 miles from home.

Unbelievably, Nana's been a part of the family for nearly as long as my younger brother has been alive. She's seen all three of us grow from children into adults, some of us becoming only occasional visitors - though she always, ALWAYS remembers us.



She's seen many other pets come and go, and she was healthy for so long that we thought she might even survive some of US! Until a year or two ago, she was still the radiant, exuberant huntress and prowler that she'd always been, in ridiculously good shape for her age and as smart as ever. Even a month ago, the vet was amazed at how great Nana's lungs and heart looked, not to mention her eyes (not a cataract to be seen) and mind (she'd always been a superbly intelligent cat). But sadly, Nana was beginning to fade - her digestive tract was having issues which were causing her to lose a tremendous amount of weight - she couldn't keep her food down and was becoming vastly dehydrated.

She was put on steroids, which seemed to help the eating problem but in turn caused severe urinary issues. We had to come to the very difficult decision that Nana's quality of life just wasn't there anymore - alternating between dehydration and being locked away so that she didn't mess the entire house...it just wasn't right, not to mention the pain and inconvenience the situation was causing my mom and family.

So in about an hour, my mom and sister will be taking my Nana to the vet to be put to sleep, after which they'll bring her home to inter her in the front yard underneath the lilac tree which Brad and I sent a few years back. It breaks my heart into a billion pieces to not be able to be there with them, to not be able to hold my cat one last time, to be with her as she closes her eyes for the last time.

I'm a bit of a mess...at least my mom will be calling before they leave so that I can "talk" to Nana one last time - she always seemed to understand when you spoke to her, and she meows back to the phone like she's having a conversation. And she always purrs when she hears my voice.

Pets are such a wonderful addition to our lives - they are filled with such unconditional love and are always happy to see us...but it's so hard to see them go. I'm so grateful for the time that I had Nana in my life - there will never be another cat quite like her.

And I'm glad that I have my little Lily Boots to hold on to this afternoon, to help me get through the day...her love reminds me why we bring these animals into our lives and hearts.

Readers, please forgive me a bit of cheesiness, but...Nana, I love you so much. And I am with you in my heart, even if I'm not there to hold you in my arms. You'll always be my best kitty.

:...(