The clearing at the end of the path

Lazy Cat
Originally uploaded by neilh.

She'd been looking more frail than ever today, but she managed to find some pleasure in the day. She spent an hour next to me in a patch of sunlight on the bed and she'd been purring in Jan's arms in the chair.

I took her upstairs when I went to bed, cleaned her nose and settled her on the blanket. I must have just dozed off when I heard her fall off the bed, crying in pain. She was panting and obviously in distress.

I rang the emergency vet and they told us to bring her straight in. There was nothing they could do, other than help her on her way, and the end was mercifully quick and painless.

I will miss her more than it is possible to say.

I will miss her jumping up onto my desk when I am working, I will miss her yowling at the fridge for bits of ham, I will miss her waiting to swipe at Barney passing by, I will miss her finding a patch of sunlight to sleep in, I will miss her snuggling up to me on the sofa in the evenings.

Farewell Biddy.