Ava Says Goodbye

Our beloved calico cat, Ava, passed away on Saturday, July 11th. The last two of her fourteen years had been a struggle with diabetes.

She fell very ill about a week before her passing, and our vet journey revealed that she had also been making life work with one functional kidney for quite some time. Unfortunately, the vet trip also revealed that she had developed gallstones that had partially obstructed her bile duct. The vet got her out of her medical crisis so we could bring her back home and see how she chose to recover...or not.

Ultimately, she made it clear that her little body was tired and the nearly blocked bile duct was just one too many things for her to manage. However, she had just enough of her usual attitude that we got to enjoy several days of cuddles and meows before the end. We worked with an excellent in-home end-of-life service to gather together as a family and peacefully say a final good-bye.

I've been working from home for nine years, so Ava decided I was her Person quite a while ago. She loved my husband and son, but I was always the one she chose to cuddle with on the couch. When I was first working from home, she enjoyed jumping up on my desk to walk into frame of so many Zoom calls. Before I commandeered the guest room as my office, she would try to climb all over me in my desk chair to be a part of my day.

She was an excellent studio cat, whether she was demanding time in my lap, on my chair, around my packing prep, or meowing quite adamantly to be let out onto the balcony.

This is the first time in a quarter of a century that I have not had a cat in my life. And I'm not sure when I'll be able to find a new cat to fill this particular void. Ava was just about perfect for me; she spoiled me in particular with the balcony time.

I've known for a while that it was going to hurt a lot when it was her time to leave us, and some part of me knew we had entered "borrowed time" with her diabetes diagnosis. I just didn't think she would leave us quite so soon.

For those of you who met Ava and got to feel her purr as she shed happiness all over you, thank you for being a part of her life. For those of you who didn't get the pleasure of her cuddles, I hope you have enjoyed this tribute.

And Ava, thank you so much for all the joy you brought us, even with all the exasperated "Cat!" exclamations we made when we found an unexpected present or whatever silliness you got up to in an unanticipated manner. You were a fantastic companion, and I will miss our snuggles.