Goodbye Cleopatra

To one who ate anything as long as it wasn't in her bowl
Who could jump four feet up and slip into spaces three inches wide
Who didn't know what mice were for and chased them anyway
Who shed in places we still can't figure out how she reached
Who fought plastic rings and bits of string with ferocity and delight
Who hated getting her nails cut and wouldn't let anyone brush her
Who was ready to take on the raccoon outside the window
Who took up half the sofa and had to have her own cushion
Who nearly took out one of my eyes while escaping from being pilled
Who slept on my chest and pushed her paws against my chin
Who bit my nose at 2 a.m. because she wanted to play
Who purred like a racecar when she was happy
Who sat on my lap when I was writing late at night
Who never clawed the baby even when it hit her

She was a kitten for twelve of her fourteen years. When she got sick we did all we could to make her better. When she stopped eating her food we gave her tuna. When she could no longer eat that, we gave her water and tried to comfort her. And when we could no longer do that, we released her from her pain.

Cleopatra died February 18, 2006. Her autopsy revealed that she had cancer in her liver, and spreading through most of her body. She never complained, and was never vicious or violent while she was sick. We loved her and we miss her.

Cleopatra

1992 to 2006

Beloved Friend