There is a cat who has grown closer to my heart than any cat before. Her name is Molly. She is an indoor cat, but she loves to go outside. Fortunately, she is tolerant of my desire to have her inside most of the time. I once forgot to let her back in when I was going to bed and woke up in the morning thinking about why she hadn't visited me all night. She often sits on my chest or lies next to me while I sleep, and she wasn't there and hadn't been.
I went out and looked around, searched the neighbor's yards, and even went and rang their doorbells. No one answered. I couldn't find her. I don't like to worry. What's so is so, and if that includes her demise, so be it. I went on my daily walk hoping she may have followed that path because of some kind of mystical connection between us. I imagined the worst, and I imagined the best, hoping for the latter the whole time.
We lost another cat in the last year, named Lala. She was very old and dearly loved by everyone in the household, including several other cats. She's buried in our backyard. She was suffering a little and I did my best to comfort her, half hoping that she would be comforted in my arms until her last moment. I had stuff to do and so left her resting and wrapped up. She had passed by the time I returned, I believe having hung on in my presence, despite the suffering, just because she loved me as much as I loved her, passing soon after I left her to end in peace.
On the day after I had left Molly out all night, I had stuff to do and couldn't think of what more I could do to find her, so I went and did what I needed. Kim texted me that a neighbor had brought her back to the house, and that I should be more careful. Molly is now far more interested in being outside, and I accommodate her, probably more than Kim prefers. The joy she feels being outside rubs off on me so it's very difficult for me to deny her.
Cats suck at cooperation. Compassion, comprehension, and cooperation cure, combat, and counteract coercion. Cats seem to be good at compassion and comprehension, but certainly not cooperation. I'm trying to teach Molly. When I want to come back inside, or I feel she has been out long enough, I do my best to coax her to come back into the house. She has come back in willingly, but only twice. Once, it was cold and dark and she had been out long enough for her own desire and asked to come back in. The other time, I wanted to come back in and she came to the door and went in before me. Baby steps!
This will be posted on diamondvalleycompanions.com if the owner likes it enough.
