Squeaker 1997-2014

-->

My Kitty and me. 

When Squeaker came into my family’s life, I never would have predicted that she would become a most cherished companion, a kitty who accompanied me to the mountains for years, who climbed up in bed with me when John was out of town and watched movies with me, who listened to my unconscious talking out loud, who would look squinty eyed at me when she did not approve, and right to the last week strode into the bedroom at sunup to meow stridently for her food. 

Squeaks had a firm adage, “If you cannot love the one you want, love the one you’re with.”  When I left her to travel to Tanzania, she first found that Sarah B. was maybe better than “mother” and grew to love Sarah.  I think that she always looked for other house sitters to be like Sarah, and none were, except for Chrissy who Squeaks tried to lure away from Chrissy’s own kitty by demonstrating that even if she was old and tiny and not particularly playful, that she was much much more loving. 

Squeaker came to us at a time when our family needed her. She seemed quite adept at helping to settle an unsettled household and providing herself for love when the whole family was dealing with many difficult things.  She provided entertainment (WHERE IS THAT CAT!—only for us hear her meow in one of the dormer drawers where she had gotten trapped after walking into one of the dormer closets and wandered around the house the  dormer way). Katrina, think "Tick Tock Kitty"... She loved Christmas and for years wrapped herself in tinsel, drove me crazy as she batted only the breakable ornaments, and once leapt into the Christmas tree taking it down.  She loved to hide behind the Christmas tree and to drink the nasty Christmas tree water.  She always knew when we were leaving for Africa, in the beginning doing unspeakable things to our suitcases. She absolutely knew when we were leaving for the mountains or when we were coming back to Durham, and the difference between those trips and Africa.  Hiding was one of her favorite things to do and she could lodge herself in just about anywhere.  Even though it was clear that she liked to travel, liked to be at home, and liked to be in the mountains—particularly anywhere that I was, she continued the charade of finding new hiding places right up until this last 6 months.  At that point, she must have decided that the energy involved in finding a new hiding place would be too much, and she actually liked the travel well enough.

Squeaker had a number of firsts at the end of her life.  She killed her first mouse and laid it at my head only two years ago!  I thought it was Squeaks lying by my head.  Oh my. She determined that Chui, her much younger step-sister, who came to stay was her mortal enemy and they played war much I think to their delight on a daily basis.

Squeaker was fortunate to have a great veterinarian Jim Miller at North Churton Animal Hospital who did the right things by her, always had helpful suggestions and kept her going for probably years longer than she should have.  “She has small kidneys – you remember she has small kidneys?”  With his suggestions, I bought her water fountains for home and mountains, and lots of other things.  And the vet, Dr. Lindsey at Watauga Animal Hospital was kind and gentle and very sweet at the end. 

As much as John is not a cat lover, Squeaks was happy to rub around him and he to scratch her pretty head as she watched everything we did!

My sweet kitty rest in peace.  She came from a rescue site in the middle of the death of the rest of her cat family, but she went out peacefully with me reminding her of all of our wonderful adventures.