Tears for Cloey Caldwell ( Not Yet )

Cloey was born 18  years ago. Her mom was a very small cat, that we had. Cloey was born under our waterbed. The first time we saw the 4 baby cats, they paraded out to the kitchen for breakfast. No mess under our bed.

We have had cats since our marriage in May 20,1972. In fact I moved into the new trailer two months before our wedding. Mary found a cat 2 weeks before she moved in, on our wedding night. We got married at 8:15 on a Saturday evening. Her father still had milk cows, and lived 1 1/2 hours away near Reading. We had our wedding in Trinity Church, East Petersburg.

The 4 babies were in a cardboard box on the porch. I put Kyra in the box. She could hardly stand, but loved animals even then. She fell, the box was big enough that she did not sit on any of the babies. Kyra now close to 19, works in an animal sanctuary near Harrisburg, about 35 miles away. She is deciding what branch of animal protection she will pursue. Veterenian or tech assistant. Eight years for doctor and figure schooling cost is overwelming.

Since 2008 I have been retired. Cloey became my cat when I started being home all the time, Mary worked full time till 2016. Part time till 2017. My job was filling Cloey's food and water dispensers. The water needed attention, about every two weeks. The food I filled when the beaker was low. I shook the tray to fill up the part she ate in the tray every morning.

It has been about 10 years since Cloey stopped letting Kyra pet her. She came in the cat door every night to eat and climb in her bed on the enclosed porch. The last 3 years we have had Sophie, Beagle-Border Collie, Cloey slept outside, afraid of Sophie. Every morning I checked her food & water. We would see her during the day, but was always running into the woods and cover.

There was an old tree down with hollowed out trunk that gave her protection and warmth. Tonight is 6 mornings that no food was missing. She would miss one night sometimes, but not this many. I told Mary she must have finally died. She said at least she died when it was just getting cold. Nights now are about 50 degrees. At least she will not freeze to death, that is painful.

We tried to love her in her later life. She was feral, did not want human touch. She did for the first 6 years of life. Funny how life changes. At least she knew we loved her, at least when she was young she was not afraid of us.

Don't tell anyone my eyes are watering when I write this, I was once a strong man, a rock people thought. Well us Rocks have feelings too!

Goodbye Cloey; up in animal Heaven. Mary said no more cats last year. Then Kyra called her that they have a female small cat with heart trouble. Probably not live more than a year. Because of tight money, donations keep them going, they were going to end her life if no body takes her. Kyra called Mary, Mary told me we will make a suffering cat's last year  wonderful.

My Charity to help Stop PTSD Suicides in Veterans & First Responders! Mary says no more of our money in your Charity. Last 5 years we put in almost $4,000 we could not afford. Every time I ask Mary for money to Charity, she says this is the last time. Is Mary a Keeper?? What do you think??

UPDATE:
Mary let me know after I posted this: she saw Cloey this morning. It has been 12 nights she did not come in for food. I asked Mary, I wonder who is feeding her? She said, probably some people who do not have two cat crazy dogs carrying on every time they smell her close to the porch cat door. I guess she likes calm in her senior years.