Chloe

The cats always get the last word.

It was a lot of fun laughing at Oliver last week. I mean, come on.

Who can resist making fun of that?

However, as the cat haters' dream post was being read, some bad stuff was going down.

(I wrote this on Friday evening.)

Our other cat, Chloe, went in for her haircut today. Our vet ran several pre-op tests to be sure that she could handle being anesthetized for a few minutes while they cleaned her teeth and shaved her. Her tests looked great and the vet said she was good to go.

The King got a call early this afternoon that Chloe was having some trouble. Our vet said that she showed no indications of anything being wrong during the procedures, but she was having some difficulty waking up.

I had run into the post office and The King and The Princess were in the car. When I opened the car door, both of my peeps were in tears.

They gave me the news and we waited for the vet to call us back.

Our vet called back in an hour. She was crying. Chloe didn't make it.

The King gave me Chloe and her brother, Murphy for my birthday...one month after we married. We had a new home, a new life and 2 new cats. They were so cute.

The King was so proud of himself. He had planned all of this without any help. He had bought this kitty jungle gym thing, too: The Cat Condo. It was, like, the primary piece of furniture in our living room.

We had so much fun with them. We would put a shoelace over the top of the door and Chloe would jump up and grab it. That is some kind of newlywed entertainment, let me tell you.

My dad would look at her and say, "Chloe, can you talk?" And she would meow LOUDLY.

And she did that A LOT. FOR THE NEXT 13 YEARS.

Murphy had kidney disease and died when he was 5. We knew he was sick, so we had him put to sleep because he was suffering.

Chloe turned 13 last October.

When she was a few months old, she somehow fell into her water bowl and water got in her ear. It gave her vertigo and she never recovered. Her head was always tilted. But she thought she was right side up. When she jumped off of things her entire body did a flip.

Once she ate a bunch of laundry detergent and puked blue bubbles. She had to have her little stomach pumped.

She (& Murphy) had some kind of crazy reaction to their vaccinations and both almost died. They were unable to get any kind of shots after that. In fact, some veterinarian school in Colorado wanted us to ship both cats to their school so they could study them.

At that point, we were pretty sure their plane would go down. And we just couldn't be responsible for that.

She was sort of an accident waiting to happen. But through all of it she hung in there.

Maybe that is why this has caught me by such surprise.

Chloe loved us a lot. She was a cat, though. She could only show us on her terms.

She didn't like to be held. EVER.

Anytime someone was in the bathtub, though, Chloe was right there. She sat on the side of the tub and meowed. (A lot.)

Bedtime was her favorite time. She would plant herself on my pillow. Right by my head. If I nudged her to move...she dug in. She was not budging.

When we returned home after being gone overnight, we would have to close her in the laundry room the first night back. She would chew us out. For the entire night. Non-stop.

I didn't expect Chloe to die today. I knew she would die someday. Sooner than later. But I didn't expect it to be today.

I was telling Lisa that this is why I'll never have plastic surgery. Because I would die. And people would always speak of me like this: "Oh, Queen B. She died while getting her fat sucked out. How unfortunate".

Chloe died getting her hair done. She survived vertigo, poison, anaphylactic shock...but not a hair cut?

I tease about it, but it breaks my heart.

She didn't sleep by my head last night. I commented that it was weird. We checked to make sure she wasn't locked in a closet or something. She was fine. Just hanging out downstairs.

The King took her to the vet early this morning, so I didn't see her at all today.

That makes me sad.

I know that this was the best way for her to go. She just went to sleep.

And it's much better than if she had died on my pillow...I'm just sayin'.

I know this post doesn't really mean much to you. Sorry about that. I never want to post things that are totally irrelevant to you. (just somewhat irrelevant....) I kind of thought about not posting it today. But...

I'm thinking that maybe we can learn a lesson or two.

The first one is to remind you to go love on your pet a little bit. They may be annoying and messy and loud and expensive, but they are family.

It is also a good reminder that life can sometimes throw you a major curveball. Things we expect to be insignificant sometimes aren't.

One other lesson? Cat Karma. Don't be making fun of the cats.

Chloe October 28, 1994 - March 7, 2008

Comments

[Headless Mom]

I'm soooo sorry, Queenie! It stinks to loose a pet.

Kisses to the Royal Family, from the Headless Family.

(((Hugs)))

[Laura]

I'm sorry :(

[Rebecca]

Oh, B... I'm so sorry! :(

[karen]

I am so sorry. Our pets really are like our babies. My heart goes out to you all today.

[shelley]

It is something how they do become such a part of the family, on their terms ofcourse. I am so sorry to hear about Chloe. I will miss her too. She was a very entertaining cat. :)

[Queen Mother]

I am so sorry about Chloe. She was certainly a cat with lots of personality and gave us many hours of entertainment. She diligently watched over her little family and tried to keep you in line. I loved her and she will be missed.

[Shelia]

I'm sorry for your loss. You don't realize how much they mean to you until they aren't there anymore. I'll be thinking of you and your family today.

[Lisa@take90west]

So sorry for you all, I know she was part of the family. I hope each day is getting a little bit better.

[Tammy]

I just started reading your blog. I am very sorry for your loss. I have a 12 1/2 year old lab that I just pray goes in her sleep. Our family lost her partner in crime this past September. God bless you all.

[ValleyGirl]

I've totally never been a cat person, but since moving out to the country, we've had several. And lost almost as many. Even though they're farm cats and leave miscellaneous feathers and mouse parts lying all over the sidewalk, I always hate to lose one. They just grow on ya, dang pets. Hope today is better.

[pinkmommy]

I am so sorry for your loss. My dog was mine and the hubbies first child, he gave her to me for our first Christmas together. I have been neglecting her lately. Sometimes I just get busy and forget about her. Think I will go give her a little love.

[Kellyn]

Oh hun. I am so sorry. It is so hard to lose a pet. Hugs to you and the family.

[Jeni]

I'm so sorry, Queen B. Really. It's so sad when this happens. It is good that she just went to sleep and didn't wake up, but I know you'll miss her a lot around the Palace.

I worry sometimes about how our cat population will go - four of them are within a year and a half in age, so we may have a few bad years as they age and we lose them.

[Maria]

Queen B--I'm so sorry. It's awesome how a pet can drive us crazy and enrich us all at the same time. It's heartbreaking to let one go. Thinking about you today!

[Raising Country Kids]

My condolences on the loss of your beautiful kitty. I'm trying to brace our kids for the imminent loss of our dog, who is older than all of the kids.

[Kelly @ Love Well]

Oh my friend. I'm heartbroken for you.

I think the line, "I didn't expect it to be today" really sums it up.

I'm praying -- in all seriousness -- that God would give you laughter and peace in your grief. Chloe sounds like she was quite the character and well-loved. I know you will miss her.

[Bahama Mama]

You made me laugh so much but I crying as well. We have two cats "The Colonel" amd "Ow" - they are 9 and 14 respectively. I just imagine they will always be there. They are living as illegal immigrants in the Bahamas.

[jennifer gordon]

OMG, I'm so very sorry! I'm a huge pet lover and I know how hard this must be!

Hugs,
Jennifer

[Autumn Dahlia]

So sorry :( I lost my dog suddenly a few months ago... poor Chloe. (which was what T would've been if he was a girl!)

[Faithful Chick]

So sorry for your loss. :(

[Kim]

Losing a pet is just plain hard! Praying for all of you.

[Darcie]

I just started reading your blog. I'm so sorry to hear about Chloe. I have 4 cats and 3 dogs. Each one is a child to us. I will tell you that it does get better.

[Lori]

My husband and I lost a dog unexpectedly too. Those first days at home without them are so weird, like you expect them to walk around the corner anytime. All the great memories are such a blessing!

[Casa de Jules]

Oh, Queen B, I am so sorry. I am very much a cat lover and my prayers are with you. Pets are like children and I thank you for reminding us to be good to them, too.

[Kristin]

My husband and I had two cats - calico sisters - and one of them died almost two years ago at the age of 10. It was a heart attack or something -- one second she was nagging at us to get her a treat and the next she was dead. I don't recall ever crying so hard in my life as I did that night.

I'm glad you wrote about your loss - it really does help those that are going through a tough time. I wished I would have had a blog when my Maggie died, it might have been a bit easier to get through if I had an outlet.

Take Care