Saying Good-Bye to one of our Furry Friends

We ended 2012 with, sadly, having to say good-bye to one of our Furry Family Members.  Our cat, Stratocaster, passed away on Saturday, December 29th.  It happened kind of unexpectedly.  She was fine before Christmas and even on Christmas day when I fed her, she was fine.  By Thursday, December 27th, I noticed that something wasn't right.  She was having some trouble walking and finding her way but then as long as she walked right by me, she was fine so I thought maybe her sight was finally gone.  On Friday, I noticed that she was doing worse and by Saturday evening she was gone.

 We adopted "Orchid" on February 25, 2005. She was several years old at that time so we know she was at least 9-10 years old.  We changed her name to Stratocaster since she is the same color combo as my husband's Stratocaster Guitar.  We called her Strat for short :-)

 Strat quickly became a part of our home -  finding all kinds of fun places to sit and sleep.

 I could never get a photo with her eyes open!!!  Strat started out as an indoor cat but eventually chose to move to the garage and live for various reasons. I didn't like her living out there but that was her choice and she actually enjoyed being out there most of the time. She had a warm bed and, in the winter, we would add a heat lamp for her as well. (And if it got really cold, she did come inside)  She never left the yard and, if she happened to get locked out of the garage because we didn't know she was lounging under the deck, she would sit at the patio door and meow until we let her back into her sanctuary.

Strat was really a sweet cat and I enjoyed her.  I will miss seeing her lounge on the deck in the sun - even in the winter. As long as the porch was clear of snow and the sun was shining she could lay there soaking in the warmth. She would sometimes perch on the rail where she could watch everything going on around her.  In the summer time she loved to wander through the flowers and lay in the sun.  When I would be outside, she would always jump up on my lap and wait for a good old fashion petting :-)  She loved to have ears scratched, that is for sure!  I made sure that no matter the weather, I would go out and spend a few minutes with her each day - in the winter I would make 2-3 trips to the garage to make sure she was warm and had fresh water.  Needless to say, now every time I enter the garage it breaks my heart to know she is gone and I won't see that cute cat.  

Farewell my sweet Strat.  You will be missed.