Brandy - In loving memory (1998 - 2012)
I started to write this post on May 8th. The day after my beautiful Brandy passed away. I didn’t get very far, as it was just too difficult to put everything into words. Now here I sit a little over two months later, and not only am I still struggling to find the words, but I still find myself preparing two plates of cat food instead of one. How can a house still filled with a cat and 3 dogs feel so empty and quiet?
Brandy battled kidney disease over the last several years, and she was alert and active up until the final days. She stopped eating on Friday, and she progressively got weaker over the weekend. I knew it was time, and I didn’t want her to suffer, so I took her to the vets on Monday and had her put to sleep. This is never an easy decision to make, even when you know your pet is suffering. In a perfect world Brandy would have passed away peacefully in her sleep, but this isn’t a perfect world, and we as pet owners have to do what’s best for our pets. Which sometimes means making the decision to assist them to the other side.
Daisy and Brandy sharing the chair. An unusual occurance, and not one of Daisy's good hair days.
Daisy was with me at the vet appointment because she had medical issues that needed tended to as well. It’s a bit ironic that Daisy was with Brandy in her final moments, as Daisy hated Brandy for about 6 years of their lives. It wasn’t until Frankie was added to the family that Daisy started to come around and accept Brandy. Frankie’s cute little kitten ways won Daisy over instantly, and she started to realize that Brandy wasn’t so bad after all.
After Brandy passed away, I was sitting on the floor of the vet clinic holding her when Daisy decided to walk up to her. She sniffed Brandy and then licked her on the ears. It was very sweet, and it just made me cry even harder. I left Brandy with the vet clinic so they could cremate her, but I made sure to return home with the towel I was holding her in. I wanted to make sure I had her scent on something so that the “kids” would have something to sniff when I came home without her. I placed the towel in a crate which ordinarly Frankie avoids, but now I catch him sleeping in it. The dogs sniffed at it and could sense something wasn’t right, but in general they were pretty unfazed by everything.
Double Rainbow
Probably the most peaceful thing that happened during this time was the day after her passing. I was working late and the weather outside was mostly overcast with some sun peaking through and a light rain. I looked out the window at work and saw a double rainbow. Not only was it a double rainbow, but you could see the complete arc for the brightest one. I’ve never witnessed a double rainbow nor a complete arc rainbow until that day. A feeling of peace washed over me and the only thing I could think of was that Brandy crossed the Rainbow Bridge and hooked up with her sister Sunny that passed away a few years ago. It was an experience I will remember for a lifetime.
One other thing I will remember is what I found when I got home from work the night of the double rainbow. I found a piece of black plastic on my living room floor. It was the back of a battery cover to one of my portable clocks. It had dropped behind some furniture in the bedroom, and I had never bothered to retreive it. Now here it was smack dab in the middle of my living room floor, and I have no idea how it got there. When I left for work the house was closed off in a way that Frankie was in the bedroom area and did not have access to the living room. The dogs were in the living room and did not have access to the bedroom. The logical side of my brain says that at some point in the last several days Frankie played with it and it ended up hidden under some furniture in the living room. One of the dogs must have kicked it out of its hiding place that day. The other side of my brain says that Brandy came back home and left me a present to let me know she’s okay. I prefer to believe the latter. What do you think? Here’s a video of Brandy’s last few hours.
