“Time Spent With a Cat,

Is Never Wasted.”

Colette

We lost our beloved Princess Gabby yesterday

Now there is a void in our hearts and in our home

Utter sadness hangs heavily in the air and in our souls

And my thick wet unstoppable teardrops stain this poem

To me it seems like only yesterday

That I found her at that big city pound

She had been abandoned in an apartment

She lay dazed in her cage without a sound

She was already eight years of age at the time

Hardly anyone ever adopts such an elderly cat

She had already been scheduled to be euthanized

Life had been truly cruel to her no doubt about that

So I picked her up and tried to comfort her

She clung to my chest not wanting to let go

And her morose eyes pierced my very soul

So I put her in my car and I drove her home

Gabby blossomed into a real sweetheart

Ever grateful for her second chance in life

She very quickly became our feline Princess

She was loved by our other animals and my wife

She soon became our official tummy warmer on cold winter nights

When we returned home she always lovingly greeted us at the door

She was the only feline we’ve ever had who actually talked to us

And she became a treasured family member whom we all adored

She graced us with her loving presence for 10 years

Even my two dogs came to like and respect our Gabby

All our pets seem extremely sad and subdued right now

Especially her best pal our elderly male Buddy the tabby

Liver cancer recently began ravaging our Gabby’s body

But she never complained and her brave spirit never died

This time around it was I who clung fiercely to her tiny chest

And as my beloved Princess left us I cried and cried and cried

We lost our beloved Princess Gabby yesterday

Now there is a void in our hearts and in our home

Utter sadness hangs heavily in the air and in our souls

And my thick wet unstoppable teardrops stain this poem

I will be away for a few weeks; once again heading back down to the Gulf coast.  Maybe helping these lost and homeless critters will ease the pain of Gabby’s loss a bit.  I hope to bring home a tiny black and white orphan of the storm, and name her Katrina Gabby.  I think our Princess would like that.

And please find it in your heart to help these lost and traumatized Katrina waifs any way you can:

www.hsus.org

www.bestfriends.org

www.noahswish.org