A Time to Remember
by Carol Riedel

I have enjoyed writing stories about some of my animals and I love them all very much, but there is one special animal that has taken a place in my heart that stands out from the rest. I was very blessed to share my life with this little creature for 17 years, which is half of my lifetime. She took me from my late teens into my thirties before she passed away. I think our time together probably lasted longer then most marriages do today.

I want to write about her today, I do this with admiration, love, sorrow and a little joy for being able to honor her memory.

I was seventeen years old and living in England with relatives in a small village in the country. The next-door neighbor had a cat that just had kittens and I went to look at the newborns. I picked out a kitten and waited until six weeks before taking it home. The kitten was a girl with long cream-colored hair and little tuffs in her ears.

I didn't christen her with an interesting name, I just called her "Kitty", later she would be known as "Ms. Kitty" and she always came to me when I whistled a special way. Ms. Kitty grew nicely and was about a year old when I took her back to the states with me.

Now Ms. Kitty was a very haughty cat in her early years, covered with soft hair and impeccably groomed at all times. Ms. Kitty's most prized feature (mainly to her) was her beautifully plumed tail that she proudly displayed while walking around the room. She maintained herself very well up until the last year or two of her life. One other distinct feature that Ms. Kitty maintained until her death was a long mane of hair that surrounded a small-featured kitten like face.

In 17 years, a lot can happen in someone's life. There were times when I was too preoccupied with dating or work to spend a lot of time with Ms. Kitty. There were those years that we had many close evenings and weekends. I told all of my secrets to her and countless times cried and sobbed all over her. If I were sick, she never left my side. She always slept with me and would put aside her vanity when I held her like a teddy bear.

In my early thirties, I got married and I became pregnant. My husband began to feel uncomfortable with the additional responsibility and he abandoned me. I really enjoyed being pregnant but under the circumstances, I had a heavy heart. I became ill the last two months before giving birth and moved in with my parents, Ms. Kitty in tow.

I guess this is the part that makes my heart weep, I can still see her little face looking up at me and hear the sound of her purr. I got through the days fairly well, but at night, the sorrow would come, and so Ms. Kitty lay by me and she would offer herself as a comfort. She didn't solicit petting or attention, she jumped on the bed and surveyed and sniffed my face, laid down next to my tummy, allowed me to lay my arm over her, and purred.

Ms. Kitty was such a comfort to me during a very difficult time in my life. I did not feel completely alone because I could feel that she loved me very much. When I went to the hospital to have my baby she was very upset to be left behind, and the first time she heard the baby cry she was horrified. She eventually took it in stride and in her advanced years did very well with a toddler. She knew that the child was mine and she became "Granny Kitty".

Ms. Kitty passed away a couple of years ago, A few months after my mother passed away after a long fight with cancer. I had purchased a book written by Billy Graham about death. I believed in God and heaven, and read my bible, but I needed more reassurance that I would see my mother again. I read the book and it outlined some things that God says about death and heaven in the bible.

One of the stories Mr. Graham told in his book was about a child that died and went to heaven and there she saw a kitten that she had loved on earth. Mr. Graham went on to illustrate that God provides everything we need to be completely happy in heaven. His point was why doubt that the Creator could do something as simple as allowing a little creature like Ms. Kitty to be in heaven to continue to bring comfort and joy. I found comfort in these words and pictured Ms. Kitty young again, able to play, and free of the fetters of old age.

I know that this precious little creature earned a place in my heart and hopefully a place in heaven. Ms. Kitty never liked my mother but of course, my mother adored her, I like to think of the two of them together in heaven.