My Chloe Died Today
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM Veda Stram
February 6, 2012

My Chloe died today.

Because I said so. I told the vet to give her the shot. I watched Chloe’s kitty life end.

I’m going to have her cremated and put her ashes in a jar with my wonderful rescued pigeon Peaches' feathers that I collected from 1989 until 1998 while Peaches lived with me and two full-grown cats and one all-white kitten... Chloe.

Chloe lived with Peaches for five years from 1993-1998 and once I walked in and found Chloe with her front paws wrapped around Peaches, the two of them rolling around on the bed. I stopped it immediately the first time for fear Chloe would remember she was a carnivore and Peaches was prey. But Peaches was smart enough to poke Chloe in the nose with her beak often enough so Chloe (and two other full-grown cats) learned how far the games could go. I soon stopped worrying about Peaches being in any danger from the kitties. They played together for years. Ahhhh to have had a video camera!

Chloe was born deaf. Or at least from the moment I met her at six weeks old, she was deaf. One of those all-white kitties who are deaf for some genetic something-or-other reason. It WAS a great thing for Chloe who was never bothered or annoyed or frightened by noise. A blessing. Very calming. Her ears would twitch a lot quite often but not from hearing. Just twitching. Fireworks, doors slamming, dogs or people or cats or cars were never anything to react to, to be upset by.

She never heard meowing so her voice was either a squeaky “maah maah” raspy un-elegant noise from such a gorgeous girl, or she had a mute, voiceless open-mouthed meow that I would mimic and she would respond to from time to time. Two mutes mouthing hellos. Often. A great joy for me I gotta say. Plain old marvelous just communicating. Say YEAH!

For the past three months Chloe had been eating ravenously several times a day (each time as if she hadn’t seen food in weeks) and getting thinner and thinner by the day. The last two days she ate, but there was no gusto, no chowing down... just consuming. She has been starving to death in front of my eyes. She used to be the fat happy blotto kitty so to feel AND see her spine and her shoulder blades was disheartening, frightening and just plain sad.

For the last two days she only drank water when I coaxed her and coaxed her (finger in the water, lick lick, finger in the water, lick lick) and then she’d lap a bit... but not enough for her diminished self. She stopped purring and snoring a week ago. People who called me online used to be able to hear her purring or snoring in her box on my desk. No more snoring... like I used to be able to hear from another room.

Today she wandered from place to place, sitting and staring, wandering, staring, maahing silently, then sitting, unable to get comfortable. I picked her up and it was like picking up sticks.

She was unhappy. I know that. I’m clear about that.

I am beyond privileged to have had her in my life for 18 and a half years since August 1993 when she was six weeks old and I was 47. A big chunk of life for both of us.

I am sad that it was up to me to tell the vet to give her the shot that killed her. I only hope that someone is as kind to me when my time of no purring and no snoring and no happiness comes.

In my life... there will never be a love like Chloe.

In memory of all of our Chloes everywhere...
Veda
February 6, 2012

FOR CHLOE... In My Life
The Beatles

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In my life... I love you more

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