Rest In Peace, Bayou Queen, Rest In Peace

  I can honestly say that most days spent here on the Bayou are good. While there is a lot of physical work to be done, emotionally....days are easy.  The serenity that surrounds you here is a Godsend.  That is not to say that things are always stress free.  Today proved to be one of those days that one could do without.  It was hard....too hard....emotionally.  Son and I had to do something that was breaking to us...albeit the right thing to do.

  For the past month, Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, has suffered greatly. Her malady started with a bite from some unknown critter and escalated from there.  Five visits to the vet, countless doses of medicine and lots of prayers later, things just were not going her way.  A few days ago, she rallied enough to leave the entryway and meander around the house.  She chose to be near PJ, the dog we are fostering for our son and daughter-in-law.  Ms. Put's time spent with the dog seemed satisfying to her but she went downhill quickly from there.  Another visit to the vet this morning brought sad but inevitable news.  We knew it was going to come to this.  We had talked about it.  We were not ready for it.  The Queen is with us no more.  

  Ms. Put came to us quite by accident.  She was a wee kitten that some very hateful folks tossed from a car window.  The tiny eight week old kitten made her way through the woods, across the creek and up the hillside to the Little Bayou House.  She never left.  Her reign as Queen of the Bayou lasted nigh on twenty-two years.  The cat had dominion over all other denizens of the Bayou but she ruled with a kind paw.  Although she would defend her territory viciously, she would also help those in need.  More than once she came to the rescue of some pitiful throwaway pet.  She helped the likes of Blinky, the cross eyed cat that could not find anything to eat. She led him to her food dish each evening.  She befriended Boo, the Maine Coon Cat that was malnourished, and shared her meals with him.  Ms. Put came to the defense of Ms. Nycto, the newcomer who later became the Bayou Princess, by striking out against a much larger feral cat that was attacking Ms. Nycto.  She had even protected me against the same feral cat later.  My tiny, six pound cat was a fighter but she just could not fight any longer.  The invisible entity that was killing her from within was too strong.  The Bayou Queen died peacefully in the arms of Son.

  We will miss our dear friend.  We will miss her climbing to the rooftop to wait for the window to be opened at her whim.  We will miss her strange howls that sent chills up the spine of those not familiar with this sweet cat.  We will miss her purrs, her stretches and her finicky ways.  The Queen is dead.  Our hearts are broken.  Rest in peace, Little One.