In late March my Mom finally lost her long battle with Alzheimer's. She had been in a nursing home for 6 years, and I had visited often.
In the last 4 days of her life one of the cottage's two kitties, Lucas (a cat I had never seen before) presented himself to Mom, sleeping with her night and day. He was there, with my sister, when Mom, died. In fact, my sister didn't know Mom was gone until Lucas got up and nudged Mom's hand.
There is much more to this story, but what was so amazing to me is the caregivers told me this is perfectly normal for Lucas. He seeks out "selected" residents at the end of their lives, and stays with them until the end. Mom's caregiver told me she thinks the cats know the residents don't want to die alone, and come to be with the patients to guide them home. My Mom was NOT a cat person. She was comatose in her bed while Lucas stayed with her. As any cat person knows, you can't keep a cat someplace it doesn't want to be - Lucas was there because he chose to be.
As my sister and I sat there in mom's room, after she was gone, Lucas crawled on top of mom and went to sleep. When I went back to the nursing home the next day to pick up my mom's things, Lucas was asleep on mom's bed. The staff said he had spent the last day walking around crying, then going in to sleep on mom's bed. It is amazing to me, considering in all the years I had been going there I had never ... not once ... seen Lucas.
I am just betting that Lucas has gone on and adopted a new person by now, and is watching over them as they come to the end of their life!
© Christine Davis 2006
For Every Cat An Angel
For Every Dog An Angel (2004 winner of DWAA Maxwell Award)
Old Dog and the Christmas Wish (due out this summer)
A portion of all proceeds is donated to animal sanctuaries, rescue centres and other organizations that work on behalf of homeless and suffering animals on our planet.
To read a tribute to Jake, please click here:
Christine Davis grew up in New York City, certain she would either become a veterinarian or an astronomer. It is no surprise she wound up writing star-filled books celebrating the timeless connection people have with their animal companions.
She now resides in Portland, Oregon with her dog, Jake, and Pippen, Dickens, Molly and Star, the cats Jake rescued from under the deck and raised as his own.
In the Middle of a World...
"In the middle of a world that has always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."
Roseanne Anderson
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