Sad News and a New Beginning

I've been keeping something from you...something that has been too hard to share. But now it's time  for me to tell you. I am a private person when it comes to my real life family so my four cats have always served as my blog family, taking the role as my hard-working staff. Their photos were always front and center in my posts. But if you are a long-time follower, you may have noticed that they have gradually disappeared. There is a reason for that. I will be brief because this is hard for me.

I lost my precious Oz almost two years ago to kidney disease and a series of strokes. She was 17 years old and had been with me since she was five weeks old, even living with me in France. Losing her left a huge hole in my heart. Maybe only animal lovers will understand this, but part of me is still missing.

Shortly after I lost my Oz, I discovered that my big boy Baby Kitty was suffering from intestinal cancer. I was heartbroken. I had bottle-fed him as an abandoned kitten. We tried everything to save him but nothing worked. He has now been gone a year and I miss him and his sweet disposition so much.

The very next day after I lost my Baby Kitty, we discovered that my beautiful Isabella was in kidney failure. Even a stay with the specialist could not bring her out of it. I was heartsick. In 18 months time, I had lost three of my sweet furbabies.

That left only my Miss Kitty....my deaf and crazy old girl who is now 18 years old. She paced the floor and cried when she realized she was alone but I was determined not to have any more cats. I couldn't handle any more loss and grief. The staff photos stayed on my sidebar and I kept it a secret from you. My blog was the only place where they were still alive and I couldn't bear to part with them.

And then my daughter brought this beautiful little lady home to me. Her name is Iris. I'll be honest. I was angry at first. I was still grieving. But Iris won my heart. She loves everybody and thinks everybody loves her. Like three of my other four staff members, she is a rescue...but I am the lucky one to have her in my life. She comes to me, puts her paws on my knee and begs to be petted. And...she is a loud-purring kitty. I have always loved that.

And then...one last addition...another rescue. One look at my Eudora will tell you what got her in the door. Yes, she's almost the exact image of my Oz.  She has that same tortoiseshell coloring and sassy attitude...tortietude, as they call it...that I have missed so much. She has helped to fill that big hole that my Oz left. However, there is no doubt that she has her own personality and funny little quirks. She has claimed her own place in my heart.

So now that makes three and I am happy again. I am not yet ready to take my staff from the sidebar but that will come. In the meantime, you will begin to see Iris, Eudora and, of course, Miss Kitty in my photos. I am so happy to share my home with these three lovable furballs. They have all learned to get along, especially the new babies who are one-year-olds and love to play together. Now it's time to move on with a new beginning and a new staff. And I am saying a special thank you to you, my readers, for understanding my silence because I know that you will.

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