We had to say goodbye to our Cinder Kitty yesterday after 18 years of love. Just when I thought I had the emotions under control, this morning the sadness bubbled to the surface again. Her pillow. Her empty dish. A scratch pad. The absence of her comforting presence over my shoulder as she perched in her favorite spot on the sofa back,

Today I want to be reminded of the happy times with Cinder (aka Miss Kitty). Here are some of my favorite pictures of her and our family of critters.

We adopted Cinder and her brother Snape–feral kittens–when they were trapped with their mother. I believe Hannah was in the second grade. It was a few months before we’d earned their trust, and they in turn adopted us. An indoor kitty, but for the times Hannah would bring her onto the screened porch to become part of Kitty TV.

On sunny days, she liked to sit in the kitchen window, which she knew I did not like. One day, Gidget started barking up a storm and raced to the door. Paul couldn’t understand the problem, so he let Gidget out to find that Cinder had leaned against the screen and it popped out–her along with it. She hunkered under the screen, unwilling to move until Paul went out and rescued her. 

She loved to eat flowers. We had to be careful of the flowers and plants we brought into the house. I kept my house plants in the relative protection of the triangle behind the sink, but she still treated them like salad greens, leaving my plants with ragged edges.  

Our first year with her, the dog delivered fleas to the house. In my ignorance as a first-time cat owner, I tried to bathe her. Big mistake. She bit me three times. I endured weeks of antibiotics and physical therapy for my now arthritis riddled finger. It took time to recover from that trauma, but she let that go and once again became my constant companion.

Ginger was already part of our family when the kitties arrived. She was afraid of the little fur balls, but ultimately agreed to share space with Cinder.

Cinder was eight when Gidget arrived, and Cinder’s life changed with the off-the-charts energy of a puppy in the house. Her only reprieve was to hop onto a sofa or chair to escape Gidgy. Over the years, they became friends. Murphee, on the other hand, was too much for Cinder much of the time. They did enjoy the occasional snooze side-by-side on the back of the armchair.

It’s unusually quiet here on the homefront now. Another new normal to get used to.