Jan 2024 – Noel Staying Warm
Noel has been gone for several weeks now. She was one of our oldest and longest cats. I was thinking about all the events and other animals she lived through in her almost 17 years. She outlived 4 dogs: Squash (2010), Sofie (2022), Louise (2022), and Charles (2023), and left us with 2, Jolie and Bearnard. She outlived her fellow felines Zackary (2010), Cuddles (2010), The Muffin Man (2012), Constance Kitty (2012), and Nine (2022), leaving us with Stella and Mini Cooper. The human children were only in middle and high school when she rescued us and now they are adults with cats of their own. She also had time with multiple Guinea Pigs, Mr. Moto, Georgia, Checkers, and maybe others.
We have been thinking about her a lot these last couple of weeks. Her not being here is very evident.
Dec 2023 – Noel telling Bearnard to get off her spot on the couch
No one really likes to talk about the loss of a beloved pet. No one tells you how much you will cry. That a companion will leave a hole in your heart way bigger than their little 10-pound body.
Oh, and then there is the guilt. Few of us are lucky enough to have our animals pass away peacefully in their sleep. So we feel guilty that we had to ‘put them down,’ or that we ‘let them die.’ Guilty that we didn’t play with them enough or didn’t pet them enough, or this, or that, or any one of a million possible things we could feel guilty for.
No one tells you that you will second guess almost everything you’ve done since they were a kitten. Did we give her the right food for her particular issues? Did she have issues? Should we have done more?
Look Mom, I brought you some birds!
The one thing I can tell you about grief and loss and the continued ebb and flow of missing Noel after being with her daily for 16 years, 10 months, and a bunch of days, is that she is burned into my memory and heart forever.
We all grieve differently, but grieve we do. So if you have ever lost a pet, or several, I offer you my heartfelt condolences. Please know that over time your sadness will lessen and your tears will flow less. And know that the best thing you can do for you, and to honor their memory, is to go on and not get lost in that sadness. For me, I go and hug my other dogs and cats and humans, and let the love that I felt for Noel translate into even deeper love for the others.
Here’s to you Queen Noel: Your memory is a blessing. “yehi zichra baruch”
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
DogDaz Zoo 