remembering our fur baby

we were with our sweet kitty when she took her final breaths. i put my face close to hers, stroked her head and told her how much i loved her. that night all i could think of was what she looked like after her soul left her body and how she seemed to be hurting before we brought her to the animal hospital. these thoughts brought me so much pain that my whole body was sore from crying.

knowing i had to do something before i sunk into a depression, i called my mom. she cried with me and reminded me of the funny things piggy used to do. (my mom and niece called her piggy. she had so many different nicknames.=). i found comfort in talking about her. then i started looking at her pictures and soon i was smiling through my tears. i'm so happy i took so many photos.

1999

john and i cherished each and every moment we had with our fur baby. our friends and family would get a little annoyed with us when we'd cut our visits short to get back home to our cat. we'd miss her when we were away too long and worried that she may be hungry or in need of some love.

when john suggested we watch our videos of her, i hesitated. i thought it would be too painful but instead it had the opposite effect. we laughed and cried watching her during her healthier days. it feels like she's still with us, just in a different, more peaceful form.

as i mentioned before in a little biggie bio, i found biggles (or should i say she found me) on the porch of a friend's house when i was about 17 years old. she was the friendliest cat, coming up to us teens and rubbing against our legs. the boys in the neighborhood were smitten with her and called her mrs. bigglesworth.

she was a chub of a cat, which led us kids to believe she was pregnant. when my dad heard this he let me bring her home. we brought her to the vet and it turned out she wasn't pregnant - but she did have worms! it's funny to think that i loved her so much already that i had no problem picking rice-like worms off her little tush and my bedroom floor. there was nothing i wouldn't do for her.

 biggie and my sister, krista circa 2001

but biggles didn't like me too much in the beginning. in fact, she stayed away from me as much as possible! she would lay on my dad, brother, sister and friends, but not me. i'd say to her, it was me who saved you, you ungrateful little...! she definitely made up for it in her later years, laying with me every chance she got.=)

biggie loved her new home. we had a nice big backyard where she'd roam and play safely. when she wanted to come in she'd hop up on our screen door and meow. once my brother made her a bed out of a box and a blanket and labeled it biggie's bed. to say she was spoiled would be an understatement!

when i moved out i left biggie with my father so she could still enjoy the outdoors. when her kidneys started to fail a little over two years ago and she became very needy, my dad knew it would be best for us to take care of her. john was not happy when i said a cat was coming to live with us, but it was only a matter of days before he fell in love with her, too. 

our home was like a retirement village for her. she got 'round the clock care and attention. she was the queen, which is why we called her ms. madji and the madj (/mahzh/). she'd take little trips outdoors where she'd sunbathe and munch on some grass. her favorite treat was coconut oil and she had her own jar. she played with toys i crocheted for her and had many comfy places to lay.

madj didn't like it when the attention wasn't on her. she'd sit on the computer keyboard when i was typing, break up our scrabble games, and lay on books that i was trying to read. in her early years, she'd walk across the keys when i played the piano and sit on my hands. (ok, maybe she thought i wasn't very good and just wanted me to stop playing.=)

i'm so grateful for the years we had with our sweet madji and all the fond memories we have of her. she was a very special kitty that will always hold a special place in our hearts.