Goodbye to Matilda

August 26, 2021

Our puddy, Matilda, crossed over the rainbow bridge this afternoon. My heart is hurting. She was my first furry friend when I came to Missouri. She had been going downhill for a long while, I hadn't actually noticed it until a few days ago. It makes me sad that I didn't notice sooner and take her in. But maybe they couldn't have done anything anyway. I will never know.

Anyway, she'd been eating less and less every day this past weekend. But she kept going out to widdle or whatever, and then coming back to the house. It looked like she was having trouble with her back hips/legs. This past Monday (today is Thurs) she slept inside from about 4 AM, drank a bit of water, and only lapped up a smidge of tuna juice. She laid back down for a bit but wanted outside that afternoon. That was the last I saw of her until today. Gary and I had looked all over; in the tractor shed where she liked to hang out, under the house, all around the bushes and sheds. I'd called and called with no response.

I told Ellen finally this morning that Matilda had probably gone off to die and wasn't going to come back. She was upset because puddy didn't want to be with us when she died.

But today I went down to my mom's early. I backed the Mule out to go and heard her meow. It was her deeper kitty distress yowl almost. I stopped and saw her sprawled out in the little run-off ditch by the tractor shed; where I'd been by several times since Monday evening. She couldn't walk, so I picked her up and she meowed again a few times, but then quieted down as I settled her in a box w/ a couple of my old T-shirts. I stroked her and told her I loved her. She settled down a bit, but her breathing slowed and she passed in less than an hour after I found her. I am glad she died in the house with us, wrapped up and knowing she was loved.

Here are some pictures of her over the years:

This is the last picture of her, taken last week.

Here she is a few months ago, in late spring or early summer. This is where she loved to perch to spend the afternoons and evenings; lying in the shade.

May be an image of cat and outdoors

Up above was during the ice storm of 2007, before Ellen was born even. She curled up in my Mexican serape on the sofa.

Then next, there she is as a kitten with her Mama.

Oh, here's one I found of her when she was smaller, back in 2008. She loved trying to catch birds. this is about the same time I quit putting up a bird feeder. Haha...