A Loving Tribute To Murray | |||
For those of you that were aware of my cat
Murray's illness, |
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Without my family, I would not have been able to withstand those two heartsick days.
Mother, I thank you for being such a good grandma
to your grandcat, Jeanne, my sister, I thank you for your honest love,
concern and wisdom. Jon, my brother, I thank you for bringing with you,
an olive branch
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There are so many touching and poignant poems
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A Loving Tribute To Murray From the first feline to ever set velvet paw
upon now ancient lands, The loss I feel is deep and expansive. It is as though the best part |
I found Murray when I moved to a garage apartment in Abilene, Texas in February 1988.
He was a stray about 1 year old.
From the first moment we met, there was a feeling of compatibility and ease
between us. Try as I might, I don't recall ever having to train Murray to
stay off counters, not scratch furniture, not eat the plants, etc... The
minute he came into my life, his easy going but elegant style always amazed
me.
Murray's only demand of me was that he be allowed to go outside and explore
nature, as he had done before he decided to adopt me.
Walking him on a leash
and harness seemed like a good compromise. Again, I was so impressed by my
boy.
With not one protest or attempt to wriggle free, he accepted the leash
and harness like he had worn one all his life.
We even got to the point
where I did not need to restrain him. We would take our walks like two chums
catching up on the days events.
He listened to me when I would tell him to come back, or turn a certain
direction, or to stop all together.
Like a child looking for encouragement,
he would even make sure I was watching him when he did something especially
cute or athletic,
such as scratching a tree at a bizarre angle, or bounding
and leaping at the grass like a furry little gymnast.
As he aged, our walks
continued, and 3 days before he died, he staggered over to the tree in our
front lawn,
and scratched like a kitten, looking back several times to make
sure I saw. It took me sometime to swallow the lump in my throat,
because
although I did not want to admit it, I feared that was going to be the last
time he ever scratched a tree.
Murray enjoyed meeting people, especially toddlers. It was ironic though,
because of his size many small children were a bit scared of him.
He loved traveling to different places, especially other people's homes. I
think it satisfied his nosey nature to snoop through an unknown house.
Murray aged as gracefully as he lived. And the moment he passed, he was
looking directly into my eyes, and I can only hope
that in those last
seconds he knew how much I love him, and felt peace and no pain.
Thank you for sharing this tribute for a truly unique cat with me.
Jennifer Holland