Chapter#: Bye Kittens
Two summers ago I adopted two tiny sister kittens from the Columbus animal shelter. One was a little coy and elegant tabby named Cali who was Charlie’s best friend. And the other was a goofy and loving Siamese mix called Chani who was cross-eyed and always kept us company, whether we were feeding horses, teaching riders, or walking the dogs…
Cali went missing a few weeks ago. Chani disappeared a few days later. Although my family playfully invented stories of the adventures the pair might be having, there was always an awareness in the back of our minds that we’d lost them to something in the woods behind our house. So since I’ve been home, Charlie and I have been on patrol. We’ve been marching all through the hidden trails and deep gullies and creeks, looking at tracks and animal signs, sniffing out stuff and exploring the deepest, most untamed parts of the woods in search of a clue. We had some interesting adventures together, but never returned home knowing what became of our kitties.
Today we were finding our way back from getting lost in a particularly deep and wild part of the woods when Charlie sniffed out Chani’s remains. It wasn’t much more than her thick peppered white fur blanketing the ground. Something had rendered her apart and eaten most of her… and it was uncomfortably close to our property (I could see our barn through the trees).
I have written about this sort of thing before…about the strange juxtaposition that is caused in your mind when you acknowledge all the thoughts, behaviors, reactions, symbols, memories, energies and emotions that surrounded an animal you knew in life…and then try to add these lifeless bits of cat-matter into the equation. It creates this strange jolt in your thought process that sometimes makes you curious, sometimes makes you giggle, or could just make you sad…depending on your relationship with that animal.
I’ve felt all sorts of interesting emotions when I encounter dead animals…but I’m quite sad and angry this time. I think Charlie and I will continue investigating.
Cali went missing a few weeks ago. Chani disappeared a few days later. Although my family playfully invented stories of the adventures the pair might be having, there was always an awareness in the back of our minds that we’d lost them to something in the woods behind our house. So since I’ve been home, Charlie and I have been on patrol. We’ve been marching all through the hidden trails and deep gullies and creeks, looking at tracks and animal signs, sniffing out stuff and exploring the deepest, most untamed parts of the woods in search of a clue. We had some interesting adventures together, but never returned home knowing what became of our kitties.
Today we were finding our way back from getting lost in a particularly deep and wild part of the woods when Charlie sniffed out Chani’s remains. It wasn’t much more than her thick peppered white fur blanketing the ground. Something had rendered her apart and eaten most of her… and it was uncomfortably close to our property (I could see our barn through the trees).
I have written about this sort of thing before…about the strange juxtaposition that is caused in your mind when you acknowledge all the thoughts, behaviors, reactions, symbols, memories, energies and emotions that surrounded an animal you knew in life…and then try to add these lifeless bits of cat-matter into the equation. It creates this strange jolt in your thought process that sometimes makes you curious, sometimes makes you giggle, or could just make you sad…depending on your relationship with that animal.
I’ve felt all sorts of interesting emotions when I encounter dead animals…but I’m quite sad and angry this time. I think Charlie and I will continue investigating.