Shadow's Passing

Amaranthea called me this afternoon to let me know she had put Shadow down. I felt so bad. I didn't have words to make her feel better. Shadow's been her pet for 11 years, she said, and has been also working as her familiar. Shadow's been really sick for the last few months. No amount of medication or IV meds have made him better. An x-ray shows he had water in his lungs and his heart had atrophied. She'd have had to take him to a kitty cardiologist for more help. And $500+ later, the only thing they'd be able to do, probably, is to tell you what your cat was dying of.

It's sad. I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have watched your cat be so sick and then not be able to do anything to make him better. Part of why I'm so glad I have the kitty insurance that I do - so that the doctor's bills will hopefully not hit sky-high if there's ever a problem. That's also part of the reason I keep them indoors. Less of a chance of something happening.

But, as Shadow was her familiar, she was expecting to feel "something" when she finally put him down. And she said that she didn't feel anything. No pulling away of energy. No sudden gap in the energy around her. Just nothing. I thought maybe it's been because Shadow has been pulling away slowly that she didn't feel the sudden shift. Shadow *HAS* been very sick for a while. And she's been asking him to let her know it's time to put him down. And all she's been dreaming about is cats. Weird cat dreams. Nothing that firmly told her he felt it was his time to go. But then, she's been dreaming about getting new kittens... and digging in the dirt outside her house up north.... and cats living in the basement... and strange dr. seuss-esque cats. Maybe it was disjointed, but he *was* telling her that she was his home, but it was time for her to move on.

So she's going to craft up a ritual for him tonight. Then she and the family will be burying him in their back yard. She asked that I light a candle for him tonight and make sure to hug my kitties.

Which, of course, I will be doing, in abundance.

It's very sad. First Lady Incendia lost her cat just before Shadowfest. Now Amaranthea lost her cat just before Natale. Is there some feline energy that is slowly regressing? Retreating to the Underworld to be reborn? Is there more that they can do for us on the other side?