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.
Ms. Put, the Bayou Cat, is often the topic of my writings and/or artwork. She has been around the Bayou for so many years that she has endeared herself to just about everyone. Don't get me wrong, she is not an overly sweet cat. Not at all. She just chooses her times, her places and her friends. She is definitely a fickle feline but, at the same time, she is a fine friend. Perhaps the best you could possibly want. She is devoted to those she likes and has little to do with any others. That, my friends, is why I adore her. She makes her own decisions and those do not hinge on what anyone thinks...human, feline or canine. Her world is the Bayou and she rules her world. What a fine example she is!
Occasionally, I am allowed to pet her. This she tolerates as long as I do not make a constant habit of it. Ms. Put, unlike Ms. Nycto, (the wannabe Bayou Cat) does not use her feminine feline wiles to endear herself to her human counterparts. (We could be better described as her servants.) Instead of winding about our legs, meowing incessantly or pouncing on us, hers is a more indirect approach. She stares. That means feed me! Or give me your cheese. Or leave me..whichever fits the moment.
I will say that she has always gone above and beyond when performing her duties as Queen of the Bayou. We have been the recipients of a steady stream of headless rats, birds, squirrels, mice, lizards and snakes. During the nigh on eighteen years that she has graced the Bayou with her presence, not once have I been frustrated with her. She is just that perfect...at least in my eyes. It does make me wonder if the hateful person that cruelly threw Ms. Put and her siblings from the car window ever knew just how wonderful of a friend they discarded. (She obviously has had a much better life with us, though, so it is their loss.) I keep telling her that she now deserves to be treated like the Queen that she is but she is content to keep on with her humble ways. It is no wonder that she is my favorite! She may indeed be fickle but she is definitely the finest of cats! Ms. Put will always be Queen of the Bayou!
She definitely is getting up there in age. Ms. Put, the cat, is starting to show her age here lately. Don't get me wrong. She is still Queen of the Bayou in all ways but she just moves a bit slower, eats a lot less and spends most of her day sleeping under the camellia bush. Both Michael and I have noticed that she has also mellowed a good bit in the past few months. It is rare to see her temper fly as much as it has in the past. My goodness, she has even started tolerating the dog, Ms. Ez! That, in itself, is worth noting as in the past, she would have bitten off the dog's head if she was so inclined. As of late, however, she lounges within a few feet of the dog as if she does not notice her presence.
All of this started just about the time that the new cat, Nycto, made her appearance. I am not sure if there is any connection between the two or if this is just a mere coincidence. At first, Ms. Put tried to put an end to the intrusion by this other female cat. There were the nightly fights and daily temper tantrums by both. After a month or so, this settled into a mutual dislike for each other but, also, a ceasefire by both. Ms. Put now hangs around the front of the house while Ncyto has taken up residence in the back. The truce seems to satisfy both so all is well on the hill.
Perhaps Ms. Put has decided that her role as Queen can now be taken a bit more seriously. With a new cat about, she can now spend more time doing regal things like sitting and staring out over the Bay. She has the opportunity to catch up on her beauty sleep and not be constantly on the prowl. Her hunting days are limited to whenever she has the whim and not to constantly battle all rodents within the entire county! Maybe she is ceding some of the duties to this much younger cat and has settled into just being Queen of the Bayou. At least, I hope this is what has brought on the change. I really like this cat. She has been around here for nigh on seventeen years now so is more like family than just a pet. She has been through thick and thin with us so we will definitely make hers a life of ease if at all possible.
