Sad day

Ciao aka Chow

Feb 20, 1996 - March 4, 2007


Everywhere I look, I see signs you were there, every room of the house, every nook & cranny. I miss your little head butts in the morning for that first pat, your meow for breakfast,your paw helping me check email, your gaze as I did my housework, the way you would drop in front of me for a belly rub and the way you would jump onto my lap when it was tea time.

Chow would 'do' breakfast with Joe. She wanted hers too! Another trait was that she would wait in the shadows until he got up from his favorite chair and then she would jump up and make herself at home. When Joe sat on the couch, you knew the princess had 'her' chair.

Chow was officially Heather's pet, but we adopted her when she had to move where no pets were allowed. Never the less, Chow would brush up against Heather when she visited and the purrs would be noticeable louder when she was stroked under the chin and called 'baby girl'. We were blessed with Chow's presence in our last 3 homes in the past 11 years. She never liked moving but wasted no time making herself 'to home'!

We 'entertained' Lesley's cat Romy for a few months while Romy tried to get over the loss of her sibling catmate Shelby. Romy is a skinny, high strung unsociable cat who had gotten into grooming herself too much and was soon becoming a hairless cat. Chow & Romy never did become friends but for the most part, tolerated each other. There was the odd scrap when one would be in the kitty box and the other wanted in. When Romy returned home, she had begun to grow back quite a bit of her fur, but that was just a temporary condition. I think she was too busy staying alert for a possible Chow attack that she didn't dare put her head down!

Chow and Cody had a great relationship, not exactly typical dog/cat behavior. Lots of time, where you found one, the other wasn't too far behind. Some days Cody would try and start a little ruckus...see if she could get Chow's motor going. If so, the 2 of them would tear through the house, up & down all those stairs, flipping carpets over and having a grand old time. Other days, when it was nice outside, we would throw the ball for Cody - she'd only have the ball in her gaze and when it would happen...Chow would pounce out from under a bush and take off after the dog. Game on...Cody would try and steal Chow's food and Chow would pay her back by not letting Cody pass on the stairs. Despite the size difference, they were like sisters.

Chow had a wonderful friend in our dear neighbour Joanne...who cared for Chow whenever we were away, including our holiday last year. Joanne quite looked forward to a weekend of Chow, she would come over, feed her, scoop her box all the while listening to Chow complain or brag...if Chow you never knew...and then the two of them would sit down and watch Coronation Street! What a secret life Chow had. Actually, what a wonderful life!

Good bye my little friend!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Auntie Berta, She sounded like a wonderful cat and friend I'm so sorry for your and uncle Joe's loss.
Alli

MelComeau said...

I'm so very sorry for your loss... I know how hard it can be to lose a member of your family... I still miss Buddy everyday...

Anonymous said...

Auntie Berta & Uncle Joe,
I am sorry to hear of your loss, I know how nice it is to have that friend at home and how hard it is when that friend is gone.
Krista.

Anonymous said...

So sorry for your loss. I know it can be hard to lose a pet, but you were lucky to have so many good memories with your little friend. They really are a member of the family.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about Chow. Losing a loved one is always sad regardless of species. It won't be the same visiting without Chow chasing Lyla around your house and swatting her nose.
Love
Aaron

New MrsIngram said...

Aww so sorry to hear of your loss. Sounds like Chow had a full life with many happy memories. Take care.

Anonymous said...

I could not think of a luckier cat, Ciao was indeed blessed to have been your cat.

all the best Jo & Alberta.

Best Regards
Mike
(aka, once know as "little guy")

Alberta said...

Mike, I hope all is well with you...drop a line from time to time!
Take care!