R.I.P. Cat Number Two
Cat number 2 passed away last night. She was having quite a few different complaints and in sum there was nothing left that could be done. She was quite a bit older than we had supposed and she had a few tough years which likely took their toll.
Cat number 1 will not mind one bit, but her humans will miss cat number 2. Even though she was exceptionally timid and rarely (as in maybe 4 or 5 times in total) approached us for a pat, she was approachable under particular circumstances (when asleep and she was relaxed) and we would pat her a few times a day when we could find her latest sleeping centre.
She found the strangest places to sleep. In the shot below she is curled up on my son’s double bass – a place she used for a week or two until the bass had to be moved.
The third shot is taken near dinner time, when she would appear and even mew a bit sometimes, in chorus with cat number 1. Feeding was pretty much the only time the two tolerated each other being within a few feet. However, they did stand shoulder to shoulder at the cat door to fend off intruders, raccoons included. So there was a mutual acknowledgement of co-ownership of the house, though they subdivided it to suit their needs.
The top shot is the sunny front window. She liked to get behind the curtains if they were drawn, and sit for hours watching the world and soaking up the sun.
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Today I will dig a grave for her in her favourite sunny spot, one she used even on the frostiest days – she loved being outside in the sun. It is under the edge of the apple tree and near to a hedge well suited for a quick escape if needed. She was happy to share it with the deer – less nervous of them than of us.
This last picture was posted when she first decided to move in with us – you can find the story of our adoption by her at Cat Number Two. Being so skittish, I don’t have many useable shots of her and almost all are taken with a 100mm lens as anything shorter put me too close for her comfort, and in every single one she is watching me, alert to the need for an escape. Her nickname around here was Skitterkit because of the way she skittered through the house when coming and going so as to avoid any attention from us.
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burnt embers 
A lovely tribute to your cat; thanks for sharing it with us.
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Hi Melinda. I don’t think you met her. You stayed in “her” room, but that would just mean she found somewhere else more safe from strangers. Probably outside.
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We did see her, briefly – she was sitting on the back of the sofa. Probably hoping we’d be leaving sooner, rather than later.
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That sounds like her, for sure.
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So Sorry to hear that news. A lovely piece of writing and I just love that first image.
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Hi Andy – thanks for the comment. I think that first image is my favourite too – I often would find her at this location when I came home from work. This is right above our mailbox, though we don’t enter the house this way. She never flinched or fled when separated by glass even though to get the mail we would be within a couple of feet of her. And often would reach out to make a scritching motion under her chin through the glass. Strange that she could be so skittish, and yet find a few mm of glass sufficient protection to stay relaxed with paws curled under her chest.
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Sad news, I’m sorry to hear it. The black and white portrait is beautiful and a fitting, lasting tribute.
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Thanks Mike. The black and white is a pretty tight crop out of a fairly distant shot. She was a very pretty cat.
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She certainly was and that’s been captured for posterity.
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Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s so hard to lose a cat, it’s losing a family member. You have some beautiful photos to remember her by.
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Thank you Ashley. She was a pretty cat, with a luxurious thick tail. She spent a lot of time outdoors, even when it was cold and the cat door beckoned, which meant she had a very thick coat as well. I would have taken more photos of her had it been possible!
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So sorry to hear about Second Cat, especially as she evidently thought that you were in many ways her First Humans, there for her when she needed company or a little snack. I’m sure you will miss her. The photos, though few, are lovely. gill
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Hi Gill – thanks for the comment. I believe we became her First Humans, though it took a long time. Before she moved in with us she slept on the woodshed roof, and I found I could reach up and scratch her head – that was pretty much the only time and place she was approachable before she decided to adopt us.
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I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like she had a rough time at some point but ended up in a great place with you. Cats, even skittery ones, seem to really crave human touch—I’m so glad you were able to give her at least a little of that.
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Thanks skadhu. We did what we could, and worked hard to build trust. It was slowly working, but I doubt that she would ever have jumped in a lap. I find it interesting how much cats like their foreheads stroked – it is something they do to each other (if friendly that is) with their tongues and it seems to give great pleasure.
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Sad to lose even a less than affectionate friend. Ta for you email Mr E. I am up and down and missing out on so much including missing your posts and doing any of my own. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Xmas and very porductive and helathy new year. Best wishes from Katherine (Kate)
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Hi Kate – thanks for stopping by with such nice words. She will be missed.
Your web presence is missed too – may you too have a terrific Christmas, and more important, a healthy new year.
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Sorry to hear about your loss. While you didn’t have many photos of Skitterkit, the few that you posted here are lovely.
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Thanks Angelina. I am glad I got a few photos to remember her by as in many ways she will leave a very faint impression on this household as she was such a private wee little thing.
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Goodbye sweet pussycat. 😦
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She was sweet, wasn’t she? She is now pushing up a yew tree freshly planted over her grave. She would have preferred that to daisies I am sure.
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Sad news. It’s always difficult to lose a cat, even one that kept her own distance like yours.
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Thanks Patrick – she was different than any other cat I have lived with, but none the worse for it.
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I’m sad for #2. I would be devastated if it were Emo but even though she was shy doesn’t mean she didn’t appreciate your care.
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It is a sad day. While she was very timid she did love to be patted, to have her neck and head rubbed and to have ears massaged, if she could just relax enough to allow it. We found that if she was in her bed she would usually let us approach and pat her, but she would not tolerate laps and hated being picked up. Even so, she will be missed around here.
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You did your best for her and her final years must have been her happiest. Bury her with some of her cat crunchies for the long journey.
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I suspect her best years were with our elderly neighbour who did not have another cat, and moved around the house slowly and without excitement. And no grandchildren either. But, she did relax around here much of the time.
The cat crunchies were a very welcome idea and that has been done. I expect she will enjoy being a part of the hedge, as she so often pretended she was in life.
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I’m glad Number two spent about a year and a-half under your care. She surely was a shy little thing; who knows what she went through in her younger days.
Good-bye, pretty Skitterkit.
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Thanks Yvonne. She had several homes in her life, and came into the ones that we knew as a shy and nervous cat, so I expect her youngest years were not good ones.
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