98. Daisy (...the Mogg!) (98)

Daisy arrived at my ground floor apartment one day, she had jumped through the kitchen window, I was watching the TV at the time in the living room, she looked at me, I looked at her and she continued to explore her new territory. Once she was satisfied with her travels, she went out the way she came in. This was a start of her regular visits and she stayed longer and longer, to the point she wanted her meals with me. Her owner, was a young girl, her name was Hollie and she lived next door to me with her mother, the mother was chronically ill and took much of Hollie's time taking care of her; another reason for Daisy moving in with me. Later Hollie's mother past away. Hollie at this point was having to move out and start a new job, and the new job was travelling around the world, she couldn't take her cat with her and asked me to take care of her, I did without hesitation. Over Daisy's remaining years she had settled in well and was never a problem. As she got older she had moved on to vacating and returning through the bedroom window and she needed help to do this, even though it was lower than the kitchen window. With a stepped contraption made of wood and with a big flowerpot as the first step, she was able to come and go with ease. It did mean me leaving my window open nearly 24/7 and further purchase of a security system, this didn't seem a problem for her companionship.
She liked sunbathing under the bushes, under the bedroom window on the front of the building mainly as this was a suntrap, and she wouldn't get harassed by the neighbours dog that had moved into the same block, taking every opportunity to chase her and he took over in the back yard.
By this time she was now nineteen years old, coming onto twenty, a great age for a cat, however she had started to sleep more. One morning she decided to go out of the bedroom window and attempted to jump up onto the chair. She missed and let our a cry, this alarmed me. I picked her up and took her outside so she would 'toilet'. She just gripped the ground. I had only booked the vet the day before, for her to be checked out, I had been a little concerned at a loss of fur on a specific part of her back right haunch. I again picked her up and sat with her for a couple of hours, before her appointment talking and stroking her, she was very quiet, more so than usual.
Going in to see the vet, something came over me, I just couldn't speak, no words came out to answer the vet's questions. I became quite emotional, I felt ridiculous at my age, not the male character that I was normally.
Eventually, I managed to explain the situation and the loss of fur was down to a tumour, for a younger cat it was possibly treatable, but not really for an older one. I knew what needed to be done. Again my emotions got the best of me.

The vet suggested it was the best thing to do for her and I was put at ease by the vet telling me it will be very quick. Daisy and I looked at each other, and I could see by her eyes she was leaving me. She did not make any sound and went to sleep.

I did bring her home with me and after a day, I prepared her a place of rest, I buried her by her favourite bush. The silly thing is, I still leave the window open for her. Weird that, isn't it.....