Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Farewell To Marty

Marty
This new year has brought me a lot of motivation, excitement and inspiration..........just not about blogging. I will have to fill you in on the end of our glorious vacation in Carmel in a future post. This post is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and family member, Marty the Cat.

When we left on vacation, Marty was active, healthy and alert. Much to my chagrin, he was a talented hunter. His favorite choice of prey were birds. Then on the day before our return, we received a call from Elena, our friend and caretaker, who informed us that Marty was limping. We didn't ask her to do anything since we would be home within 24 hours to assess the situation.

We arrived home on Sunday but could not find Marty anywhere. We called for him and searched our whole yard, but out attempts were unsuccessful. We left food out and he did not eat it. We looked for two more days and then by Tuesday, we were pretty sure Marty must have met with foul play. But our little adventure was not over yet.

On Wednesday, we had an appraiser come to our home to review our property. They looked it over from top to bottom. Then suddenly, one of the appraisers came back into the house with a concerned look on her face. She said, "Do you know there is a cat locked in your shed?" Panic struck, I darted out to the shed to find Marty, crouched and crying and pitiful. His eyes were fully dialated and he acted like he couldn't see. I carried him in and gave him some food and water. He only ate two bites. An hour later, I was at the vet's office and Marty wasn't responding. It was beginning to seem like he was suffering from more than dehydration. The vet looked him over and exclaimed "Your cat is blind!" I had no idea. He was just hunting two weeks ago.

Apparently, Marty had suffered from some sort of trauma, probably just after going blind, while we were on vacation. He had been hiding in the shed because he couldn't see and he was sick. My husband was in the shed only the day before and didn't notice Marty. Sadly, he hung on for a few more days. At least we had the chance to say goodbye and hold him until the end.

I know there are a lot of people that don't care for cats, but we liked to think Marty was special. He was friendly and greeted visitors, but didn't fuss all over them. He was a constant companion whenever we were in the yard. He seemed to watch over us like we were in his pack. He didn't act all finicky and snooty like some cats. He always knew when to keep his claws in and he never bit or nibbled on us. Marty would walk with us four blocks down to the corner market and then back home. He wasn't on a leash; he just liked being with us. Farewell sweet Marty! You were a wonderful pet.
martyscratch
Marty

14 comments:

Hannah said...

I am so sorry about your kitty. I love the pictures you posted...so sweet.

We lost our kitty this past year. She was 16 years old.

Marla said...

Oh poor kitty, I am so sorry for your loss. He was gorgeous.

Wanda said...

Oh, I am so sorry. Marty sounds like a wonderful cat. How sad for you all to see him go so soon after your vacation.

We've had to say good-bye to too many beloved furry kids. It's so hard.

I wish you peace!

Wanda

Colleen said...

Ohhh I am soo sorry for the loss of your dear Marty. This brings tears to my eyes, I know how precious our furry family members are and I know this must have been so hard on you. What a beautiful cat he was....

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I'm so sad about Marty, maybe you should find an other pet? I'm sure your daughters would be happy.

Oh, one more thing, your pic' are excellent.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry Lori. Pets are amazing friends! Katrina

Unknown said...

I am sorry to hear about your cat. On another note, how do you get Chloe to keep her glasses on? Donna has glasses as well, and she fights me on wearing them all the time. Any suggestions would be helpful. I am sorry to contact you this way, but I did not see your email anywhere. Maybe I just don't know where to look.
Chris McAlpine

Unknown said...

I am sorry to hear about your cat. I hope the girls are doing well with their loss.

Olive Tree said...

Hi, it's a great blog.
I could tell how much efforts you've taken on it.
Keep doing!

Donna said...

Crying here.... I'm so sorry about Marty! I know your heart must be broken! ::::hugs:::

Donna

tiffany said...

Aww I am sorry. :(

Tassie said...

I'm so sorry about Marty. I hope Chloe and Pearl are doing okay. Savannah still talks about our cat Spike who disappeared one night back in 2006 (she was 2 1/2 years old at the time) and never came home. Perhaps Marty and Spike have found each other in "kitty Heaven" and have started a group of Sweet Pea Pets.

3 Countries 1 Love said...

The loss of a family member (which your Marty certainly was!) is always so difficult. Godspeed sweet Marty.....

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry, Lori. He was a beautiful cat and definitely knew the family he belonged to. It's hard to lose a pet.