I was very sad yesterday: Sid my cat passed away.
09/20/2007
Sid showed up 11 or 12 years ago when I was living next door. Ernie, my old cat, brought him home for some food. It was Christmas time and he was only the size of my hand. Sid was always a bit of a wild child, a black Manx that was living on the property that I now own. Johnny, the former owner of my house had a bunch of cats, lots of cats and Sid looked like a rabbit for a long time running in and out of the hedge. His body was high on the back end and shorter front legs, no tail and beautiful green eyes. It took years for Sid to warm up to other people. He was shy or skittish or nervous. He and I had an instant bond that was quite deep.
I would often hear from house sitters, I know the cat’s here, he ate the food I put out for him, but I never saw him. I have had many friends that were not aware I had a cat for many visits, until Sid would mysteriously appear from around the corner. Cranky had a way with Sid: he would curl up with her, let her brush him all the time.
Sid would wait for me to get home each evening, sit on my lap for a dose of petting and curl up with me for a spell at night. Sid loved to curl up on the bed with me: Saba on the Left and Sid on the right. We had to have a boundary line with me in the middle. Sid brought a lot of joy to me over the years, a bit of heart ach and lots of vet bills.
He was a scrapper: he would come home torn up, a ragged ear, and a cut along his back, a bite mark and once a tooth stuck in him. I never knew what he was up to as he sauntered out each morning after breakfast. I know he had a whole life I don’t know about. Once I thought he was gone for a number of months. I hadn’t seen him, he wasn’t coming home. He had left when I was watching a friend’s dog for a long spell. I got a knock on the door from a neighbor one morning telling me Sid was injured and was next door. I packed him off to the vet, got him operated on and put back together. It was the story with him, always coming home when he was in a jam.
Sid also brought me lots of “presents” over the years. He would proudly drag them through the cat door and place them where I would find them on the way to the coffee pot. He once brought home a bird that wasn’t deceased. I remember chasing the bird around the house trying to get it out the door as Sid so smugly sat by and watched me make a fool of myself.
Sid had a nice long life, he was born here on the property and he died here in my arms. I am going to miss Sid; I have cried an awful lot the last couple of days. It is strange; I deal with death all the time a work. Sid’s death hit me hard, I am a bit heartbroken, and I am grieving for him. I will miss him waiting for me at the days end. I will miss tripping over him as he got under foot. I will miss him curled up next to me when I read a night.
Goodbye Sid I will miss you.
