Today is one of the sad days. Feel free to skip reading this post because it's a downer. It's a loss not only of a life but one of my best friends who made the transition with me from single to married. I am still in shock and keep thinking I will see her on her favorite chair or in the tub meowing for some water. But I won't.Last night my gorgeous Pace suffered a severe asthma attack and she died. The pollen and dust here in Vegas is horrible. Miles has an inhaler as do I, for the first time in my life. The dust and pollen must have gotten to her that much more and it has been especially horrible the last few days and it was too much for her. She was only 12 years old and she was never a problem cat. Norris even grew to begrudgingly like her. She was simple, she liked water. She had a routine. She started her day around 7 by meowing at our door to open up and turn the tub faucet on. She got her good drink of fresh water then she went to the green chair in the playroom to sit and wait for the sun to pass across and warm her body. Mid day she moved to the chair in the living room and watched the action of Miles and Bella horsing around. Every now and then she would get involved but not for too long. In the afternoons she dissappeared and I think she went under the couch. She would come over at night for a little cuddle and then patrol a bit and go to sleep for the night.
She was a picky eater. Only kibble. No wet food, no treats - not even fresh fish or milk or cheese. Not interested.
Pace was a Ragdoll I adopted along with Appolonia a Persian (Kitty to those who knew her) in Washington D.C. in January 2003. I knew they were already older but I was not sure if I would like having pets so I thought an older pair of cats would be a good starter. They were a great starter. They were bonded since they were kittens but since Pace always really thought she was the shit she tried to give Kitty the beat down whenever she could.
All that equalized a few years later when we got Bella and then Pace was the one always getting extra special "love" from Bella who would jump in the fray whenever a Pace/Kitty rumble started up. Kitty, my sweet little Persian with the stuffy nose would have had an even more terrible time with allergies here in Vegas and unfortunately she died when I was 5 months pregnant with Miles.
She was a picky eater. Only kibble. No wet food, no treats - not even fresh fish or milk or cheese. Not interested.
Pace was a Ragdoll I adopted along with Appolonia a Persian (Kitty to those who knew her) in Washington D.C. in January 2003. I knew they were already older but I was not sure if I would like having pets so I thought an older pair of cats would be a good starter. They were a great starter. They were bonded since they were kittens but since Pace always really thought she was the shit she tried to give Kitty the beat down whenever she could.
All that equalized a few years later when we got Bella and then Pace was the one always getting extra special "love" from Bella who would jump in the fray whenever a Pace/Kitty rumble started up. Kitty, my sweet little Persian with the stuffy nose would have had an even more terrible time with allergies here in Vegas and unfortunately she died when I was 5 months pregnant with Miles.
Kitty was easy to love though she had more problems. She was a sneezer who liked to get right in your face and spray you with cat boogers. But she always was so grateful to be near you and she just couldn't get near you enough. She disarmed even the crochety cat hating Norris who I would catch cuddling with her and babytalking her.
Pace was not as easy to love but of both my cats she was the one I loved more. Kitty had everyone's love, even my mom who was terrified of cats. Pace was almost universally second cat to everyone but me. Her name was pronounced Pachi and it means Peace in Italian. She mostly lived up to her name thought had a poor reputation because Kitty was so sugar sweet. I loved Pace for her totally unrealistic confidence and superiority. Pace was totally full of confidence and kind of dumb. She had no fear and would approach dogs and try to play with them the couple times we had friends' dogs over. She had ZERO hunting instinct and was hilarious in the way she would see a bird at the window and just think she could run up to it and catch it while Kitty spent twenty minutes sneaking up inch by inch. She ran out of the house a couple times. She caught fleas and brought them in and we had a horrible flea infestation in the Pensacola house after Hurricane Ivan that was so bad that Norris had to take the cats to Biloxi with him and I had to stay at a friends and have the house treated. Because of Pace. But for all that she never peed anywhere untoward (unlike Kitty) and was not a terrible shedder (Kitty again).
And when Miles came she was wonderful to him. She slept near him and hung near me and was motherly to me. And she never hissed or tried to scratch him when he would bestow his enthusiastic love on her. She just stayed and purred. My last memory of them together is of his bath day before yesterday. He was in the tub and she came over and sat on the rim just looking down at him bathe as she often did. And he just sat in the water looking up at her and smiling. And they were in harmony at that moment and it was wonderful.
I loved Pace so much and miss her already. I know that she hasn't been as lively lately and just wants to sleep and is even more grumpy and antisocial than ever but I still think of her as just misunderstood. And now she's gone and so suddenly it's unreal. No one to turn the tap on at a drip for anymore.
I loved Pace so much and miss her already. I know that she hasn't been as lively lately and just wants to sleep and is even more grumpy and antisocial than ever but I still think of her as just misunderstood. And now she's gone and so suddenly it's unreal. No one to turn the tap on at a drip for anymore.
