Cats On Tuesday: Remembering Sophie

Dh and I have been culling through our old files and I came across this…

…the official Air Force records of treatment for Sophie, my first kitty as an adult living on my own.  Dh was stationed in England when we were first married and we picked up Sophie as a kitten from a local farm.  I adored her!

How could I not?  She was the cutest little kitten!

So very tiny.

She was a real beauty.

She was a good cat, a typical cat, not very cuddly but still sweet.  Sophie came home with us to the states but I am sorry to report that she did not adapt well.  Not long after we moved into our first home she ran up a tree and jumped out of it…no idea in the world why she did it, but she landed badly and had to have surgery on her front leg to get a pin put in.  She was a little peg-leg for the rest of her life.  The accident changed her personality, she became a lovable lap cat!  And she got around just fine with her disability, even jumping up on the kitchen counter and propping her leg up on my shoulder to give me her own little version of a hug.  :)

She did well for a few years but then suddenly got very ill.  When I took her to the vet they advised that she needed surgery but was too weak and would have to wait and see if she improved.  I wanted to take her home but they told me they would treat her through the night and then do the surgery as soon as she was able.  They promised to call with any updates.  They called in the morning to say she had passed.  I was devastated.  I just knew I was meant to bring her home that night and didn’t listen to my instincts.  It was a hard lesson to learn.

So coming across that file brought back a lot of memories.  It still contains the condolence card the vet sent.  I know I don’t need this file anymore, but I can’t bear to toss it.  I am going to take those few pics of Sophie, the card and some other pieces of the file and frame them or something.  Better than tossing the file or just putting it back to sit unnoticed for another 10 years.  A nice tribute to my dear English kitty, Sophie.

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