Mooshie waltzed into my life sometime in 2008. She literally walked in the front door as an adult cat and just never left. She found her home, and she found her mom. She spent the next 13 years of her life with me. We moved five times. She consoled me when I cried. She slept with me nearly every night. And when Chris was back in my life, she eventually warmed up to him, too.
Chris and The Moosh had a good thing going. Especially if I wasn’t home. I’d get pictures of them sharing snacks in bed. She loved goldfish and cheese-its as much as her dad – but she especially loved sharing his ice cream. He’d take selfies with her all the time, and photoshop her into fun places. It always made me smile to know how much he loved her.
She had a million nicknames – Mooshie. The Moosh. Moo. Moomoo. Moomoo maluma. Mama. Meowmeow. Mooshie gang. Moosh-a-loosh-a-ding-dong. Ding-dongs. Dodo. Woofie. Wolfie. Mama llama. Old bat. Angry owl. Lala. Lolo. Dumpster kitty. Muffycakes. Mewmew. Newnew. Smoosh. Smooshy. Smash. Smasha. Mooshie cakes. – All lovingly given to her throughout the years. No matter what I called her, she knew my voice and would come when I called for her.
She loved few things more than mom, dad, the fireplace, and resting. She was without a doubt a sedentary cat. She couldn’t care less about toys. She sought out warmth, turkey meat, and American cheese. She was tolerant of nearly anything – except children. She left little tumbleweeds of fur everywhere she went. She had to be brushed almost daily to keep the mats at bay. She ingested ribbons and rubber bands to remind you not to leave your mess around. She never set foot on a table or countertop, and was a perfect little lady in her litter. We were really lucky to have her.
In July, our poor baby got very sick – very quickly. We immediately took her for an assessment and the outcome wasn’t great. After agonizing over the options, we knew what would be best for our little babe. We took her to bed with us one last time. We spent the night snuggling her and petting her. In the morning, with the help of a kind home visit vet, we said goodbye to our girl. She went peacefully to sleep in my arms, in our home, with our voices being the last she heard. There is so much peace in making that important choice for a pet you’ve loved for so long.
Despite his own sadness through all of this, Chris was my hero. He came with me to the vet. He helped me get her situated at home. He helped me think clearly and logically. He comforted me. He built our girl a beautiful final resting place. He took care of all the really, really, REALLY hard stuff. And for that, I’m forever grateful.
It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to The Moosh, but we know that she’s not hurting anymore, and we can visit her anytime we need her. She’ll be with us forever.
