Bye Bye Birdie

My loyal readers know I'm a huge cat person. There's no more bordering on crazy cat lady. I just am one. I admit it. I like my cats far more than I like most people. I wrote last week about a hard day here in cat land. Today is harder, but a happier day. In January 2012 I wrote the story of Birdie. Today I write my final chapter on Birdie, but it is far from the end of her story.

Way back when I first started posting photos of Birdie on Facebook, one of my good friends started commenting that they were of HIS kitten. Today, he leaves on his flight from Indiana to Las Vegas with her in tow. Birdie's lucky - she's being adopted. She was claimed by my friend at about 5 months of age. I knew this day was coming since the day he said "Sometime next summer I'm going to come out to Indiana and pick up my Birdie," but that doesn't make today any easier.

While I cried unhappy tears earlier this week for Emmy, today I cry tears of joy and remembrance of the fact that Birdie was the first kitten I raised from bottle to adult. She'll always be my baby. The odds of me having kids is slim to none, Birdie is the closest I will come to that feeling. I'm ok with that. My youngest is leaving the nest, she will move on to a new home with someone I've known for close to a decade online. Steven is currently the ONLY friend I've known for that long who has stuck around in my life. Most come and go, he's stayed. He's a great guy who paid for Birdie to get spayed, get all her shots, and has helped us out with food costs for a couple months for her, before flying out from Las Vegas on Saturday to visit us and pick her up for their flight home.

While I am sad and will sincerely miss my chin bath and my nightly fluffing before I go to sleep. I know she's being rescued, that one less here, means one more we can do slightly more for than we were doing prior to her leaving, and that she's going to her furever home, but I am still immensely sad. I will only ever see her in video and photographs, and never again get to feel her silky fur, play with her epic ear hair or be licked to the point of redness on my chin by her incessant need to bathe me, and fluff me.

It is appropriate that its raining today. The rain can hide my tears.

Birdie - age 4 weeks (August 14th 2011)
















Birdie - age 9 weeks (9/21/11)

Birdie - Age 10 weeks 9/28/11

More of Birdie sleeping curled up by my chin - sometime October 2011

Birdie - curled up on my chest when I should've been working on something

Birdie - being held by my housemate & fellow cat rescuer

Birdie - chilling on the bed.

Birdie - passed out on my chest November 2011 (age 4 months)

Birdie giving me chin kisses & nuzzles - this was a daily/nightly/repetitive thing. I will miss THIS the most.

Birdie age 5 months

Birdie Age 6 months

Same night as the one above this one

The End.

Bye Bye Birdie.
Know that we give you to a new home so we can help others.
Know that we will always love you, and you're welcome home any time, should the need ever arise.

Your mom and dad.