Your Pet Loss Stories

by Serbella L. McGee
(St. Louis, MO. USA)

Coyote was born eleven months ago. He was the last kitten in my cat Moo's litter. He was born eight hours after everyone else, and I was really worried about him. I'd seen on the internet that kittens that are born that late usually arrive dead.

Coyote didn't.

He grew into a tall, rangy kitten. He was grey, brown, white and black. He had the widest gold eyes, and a smudge of dark color on the bridge of his nose. He had the sweetest face I've ever seen. He was smart, stubborn, tricky, bold, fearless, and very affectionate. He tried to give me a manicure every day. He talked all the time, about everything. It didn't take much to keep him entertained: a paper bag, a box, or a drinking straw.

I never heard him growl at any of the other cats. He seemed incapable of holding a grudge. I could always depend on him to rumble through the house like a baby elephant. He was loud and brash, and he always made me laugh. If I talked to him, he'd talk right back, like he really could convince me to let him sleep on my pillow, and he always wondered why I never let him climb into the refrigerator. He'd sneak underneath the covers at night, and when I'd wake up he'd lie there staring at me. He forgave me for getting him fixed when he was six months old; he was current on his shots.

I didn't think to take any pictures of him, and that bothers me the most. I thought he'd always be with me.

I had Coyote put to sleep on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Tuesday night I discovered he was unable to urinate. He was completely blocked. That was the only time I ever heard him hiss or cry. He never tried to scratch or claw me when I handled him. He was a sweetie to the end; he behaved himself at the vet's office too. I was there when they gave him the final injection. I kissed him on his head, told him he would always be my sweet sweet boy and that I was going to miss him very much. I brought him home with me, and I will keep him frozen until his cremation later on this month.

It's very unusual for a kitten that young to block like that. I think Coyote had a birth defect. I'm crying as I type this, but sometimes I laugh too. My boy enjoyed life to the fullest while he was here. He had a helluva run.