I lost both my cats in the span of 4 months
“What is that?”
I mumbled the question to myself thinking what could possibly be in that big brown box, covered in a light blue towel. As I lifted the towel to get a peek, there was a little ‘meow’ that came along with it and as I lifted the towel off the box, it came as a surprise that there was a new family member that was hidden!
This tiny, brown-furred and green eyes looked up and our eyes met. I instantly fell in love with her, my cat, whose name was ‘Foxie’. In the year 2013, I was blessed with her and we’ve created tons of memories together. She was only two weeks old when my neighbour brought her home to us.
She has been a lovely and lazy one for all the years that she was under my care. She was extraordinary, she would wait by the door for my brother to get home and would greet him as soon as the doors swing open. She would create art on the floor, with her stools that belonged in her litter box! She’d apologise after though.
For five years, she was given all the attention of each family member of mine and was rather angsty when we were blessed with another furry one. The ever so active one who wasn’t afraid to show her true colours and the joker amongst them, who my mum named her, Nala.
Nala was found by the trees just only a week after she was brought into this world with her sister and left by her mother shortly after. My grandmother brought the pair home as she started noticing that they were left unattended with no food and milk.
Sadly, Nala’s sister did not make it and thus, she flew solo. As she grew, I noticed that she would always pull silly cat ‘pranks’ on her elder sister, Foxie. My mum had bought a private litter box for both my cats and it had a tiny door on it. For every entry Foxie made, Nala would always be at the top of the litter box ready to hold the door upon Foxie leaving. At times Nala would even go out of her way to try and interrupt her sister while sleeping. What a prankster!
The duo would always get my family and I laughing, they’re rather clumsy or just naturally funny.
August 28 2020.
Nala was missing. She was not home, who knew where she had gone to? I was getting myself ready to head out for the day until my mother showed up in my room asking for Nala.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her around as of today.” I responded to my mother’s question.
It took me a moment to realise that Nala was potentially missing. I dropped my eyebrow pencil and bolted out from my seat and started frantically searching for her. I was under my block when I saw a small note by the lift button asking:
“Pls call me if you are the owner of a cat with a green collar”
As I read the words, I let out a sigh of relief. Nala’s been found! I immediately then dialled the number written on the paper. It took a while to reach the kind soul who found her but alas, my called got returned.
“Hello, are you the owner of the cat with the green collar?”
“Yes, yes I am. Is she with you?”
“I’m sorry but your cat didn’t make it”
My heart. It sank to the deepest of my body. I was trembling. I was shivering.
“What do you mean she didn’t make it?” I asked, confused. I knew the answer, but I could not let reality hit me. I could never. The lady who found Nala shall not be named was kind enough to direct me to her home for further details.
I was devastated, learning the news. I was not prepared for Nala’s death, in fact, no one was. My legs were jelly-like, it was tough to walk on both legs. My view was disrupted with my tears that did not stop flowing as I broke the news to my poor mother. We rushed to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) as they took Nala’s body for preservation.
Both my mother and I were lost souls outside the centre requesting to enter the premises. Fortunately, my neighbour had given me official documents to claim Nala’s body. As I waved the documents, an officer approached us and took us in. He then went into the preservation room and there I saw, Nala in the big and black bag wrapped with a yellow raffia ribbon. As he unties the bag and took her out on the dusty grey table, my mother and I wailed out for Nala because poor her, she was dead.
We were ultimately sorry and sorrow.
The nurse who examined the feline animal of ours had informed that she had fallen from a high story and the shock was what ultimately that killed her.
We were begging for her to come back. Touching every part of her body, telling her how much we loved her. As I sat watching my mother weep over my deceased feline animal, I felt extremely sick to my stomach knowing that this was the first death of my pet and I did not know how to handle it well.
In fact, no one does. Nobody will know. It just comes at you, fast as a bullet. Never a way to avoid it.
As we grieve over the passing of our beloved Nala, we gave everything all to Foxie as she was the only one we had left. Every single day she was finding for her younger sister, wondering why she was spending her days alone.
The bed next to hers was empty, so as the cat bowl. We tried to be the best to fill the void and prevent any unhealthy issues for Foxie as she was seven years of age and it’s a pretty old age for a cat.
As four months passed, the darkest nights on the 26th December 2020, Foxie fell from the window.
The home was only occupied with my youngest sister and my grandparents. Nobody was aware that our one and an only furry friend had just died.
“Foxie, eat your treats!” came out from my sister’s mouth as she was shaking Foxie’s treats in her hand.
She did not appear. She usually would, but at that time, she did not.
My sister noticed that the window was open and she did check if there was anything on the ground floor — there she was. Foxie, lifelessly lying on the floor.
She was dead. My sister was alone, probably lost and afraid.
I was at a housewarming party when I got the call from my sister saying that our cat of seven years has died from falling out from the window.
Not this again. I rushed back home, got out from the car and rushed to where my sister and Foxie was. I dropped my bag and phone in my hand because she was right there, not moving, not breathing. All right in front of me.
My toes were touching her body as I stood over her. She was just right in front of me, I was asking her why did she have to go so soon and asking God for forgiveness. God knows how I felt at that time.
Extreme pain.
The duo is buried right next to each other, right near our home. Their death dates were just four months apart and I still have not got over the fact that my cats have left Earth.
You’ll forever be in our hearts, Foxie and Nala.
Gone, but never forgotten.
