Thursday, February 7, 2008

Poppy and Deaken -- Together Again Across Rainbow Bridge

Sad but inevitable news: I had Poppy, my black-and-white cat, put to sleep this morning. She would have been 17 in April but developed internal tumors over the course of the past several months and started to hurt and yowl, so it was time. This is every pet owner's most difficult decision: When it's time to release a pet from its suffering, it is so very hard to do...

But I take comfort in knowing that she is with her "papa Deaken" again, the serval "dad" she missed so much after he was put down 12 years ago at age 17 1/4. (You can read about Deaken and Poppy's relationship in my book about DeForest Kelley; expect to laugh and cry!) To see the two of them together -- an African serval cat and a domestic short hair a fourth his size -- playing and cavorting together was something I will never forget.

I know they're together again, just across Rainbow Bridge, where Deaken has four legs and Poppy has her health and vitality back. I expect to see them when I get to heaven. If there are no animals in heaven, it won't be heaven to those of us who have an affinity for all of God's creations.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear about Poppy. Unfortunately, I know how hard it is to put an animal down. I just had one of my animals to sleep the other day.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about Poppy, Kristine.

I remember the photo of her in your book. I've just started reading it again.

Anonymous said...

Oh Kris - so sorry to hear this! It is a blessing to have them for so long but so difficult to let them go at the end...