My children were out playing in the backyard yesterday and found a cat "asleep" under one of our larger trees. Thankfully, they didn't pet or touch it because when I went to investigate, he had gone to the bridge. I was really concerned thinking it might have been bitten by a rabid animal or something so I covered it up until one of my neighbors got home. My hubby is out of town for two weeks. (Where is that man when you need him???) Being a true damsel in distress, I went inside and cried and cried for that little cat. He looked so well fed and healthy. I couldn't imagine what had happened to him. Anyway, one of my neighbors came home and we buried him. Later that evening, I heard my next door neighbor calling her cat Eddie over and over. That's when it hit me. Although I had never seen this cat of hers, I remember her telling me he was gray. (I feed her animals when she is gone, but he never comes around. ) To make a long story a tiny bit shorter, the cat that died was Eddie. They had been looking for him for a couple of days and couldn't find him. She was so upset, but glad to have some closure that she had at least found him. Very sad
Although he didn't have any physical signs of injury, I can't help wondering what happened to him. They didn't want to do an autopsy (whatever you call that in cats). He was 10. Do you think he had a heat stroke or something? He actually died under the same tree that my husband's cat died several years ago. Seems to be some source of comfort out there.
That is exactly why I swore never to get another cat until they could stay inside all the time. We had to put our first two cats outside when both children had horrible allergies and asthma. I will always believe that Gracie and Brewster would have both lived longer if they had been able to remain inside animals. Now that the kids are older and have grown out of a bunch of that stuff, Isabelle, our Himalayan, is queen of the roost. If I have to give her away someday, I will not put her outside. Makes me so sad.
