Our beautiful Jasmine

by Kathy B.
(San Jose CA)

15 some-odd years ago, a tiny tabby kitten crawled into my purse in the cat enclosure at the pet store. Of all the kittens I had to choose from, this one chose me! This weekend we had to let her go, her sudden condition (stroke) worsened with every passing minute and she was no longer fighting to live, but fighting to go. She will always be remembered as a fighter, a feisty little fearless soul who stood her ground with great cat-itude, but was never cruel. Kitten-like until her last days, the absence of her energy and spunk leaves a huge void in our home and in our hearts. Rest in peace, Jasmine ~ I love you my little leopard princess!

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I still smell her on her favorite blanket; I can't bear to clean my house for fear of erasing her paw prints on the windows, her hair on the carpet....when I look at her favorite chair when I enter the room, a dagger hits my heart at the absence of her little head looking up to greet me. I can't use a can opener without missing her running into the kitchen in hopes of a little tuna. My daughter has been carrying around the towel we wrapped her in the rainy night we whisked her off to the emergency clinic, and never brought her back home. I am deeply haunted at her last few hours of life and the intense fear in her big green eyes, I felt she knew the end was imminent, and that she was silently pleading with us to make the kindest decision we could to let her go quickly and peacefully. I just pray that the gaping hole in my heart will gradually be filled with fond memories of her silly antics and unconditional love, and that one day I might be whole again.