Peaches
A donation was made in memory of Peaches by Caitlin Himmel on Aug 24, 2012.
It took a little time to get through this. Even now as I write I feel all the grief anew. I think back on our times together both over the years and our final week, including the final time after her passing as I held her in my arms in the hospital, with both great love and great sadness.
I was not going to get another cat. But my aunt introduced me to this abandoned kitten she had hand-raised and I spent one weekend falling in love with her. I couldn’t say no. She had this muddled gray and tan coloring and I said she looked like a rotten peach, so she became Peaches.
We lived alone, so it was just the two of us. She was always there when I woke up in the morning, to say goodbye to me went I left for work, say hello when I came home, and right there beside me went I went to bed each night. From the very first, I always had a difficult time leaving her each day, but when I got home, she’d let me hold her for just a minute before she wanted to be put down again. She wasn’t much of a cuddler; only when I got home and when I went to bed at night. But she loved to play. I was constantly trying out new toys with her. Her first toy was a gift from our neighbor, a mouse on a bouncy pole. After years, she had stripped the mouse of all accessories until it was just a plastic base, but it remained her favorite all her life. She also loved balls. Mostly I would just throw them at the walls and she would catch them on the rebound and then wait for the next one. So we had lots and lots of balls. Q-Tips – and don’t tell me how she knew the difference, but only the real Q-Tips would work – she loved to toss them around. She also liked to open drawers and cupboards to explore. But she was not an outdoor exploring cat. I could leave the doors wide open and she would never go further than the end of our row of apartments. I read a lot and if I left my books out you could find her laying on it. The only treat she ever liked, and I tried them all, was tuna or bonita flakes. A recommendation from an acquaintance when I first got her turned into a lifetime love affair with the treat. I could talk forever about my Peaches. I miss her a great deal. She was beautiful and loving and playful and always with me. I am not as close to another person as I was to her.
As difficult as losing her is, it would probably have been even more difficult without the help of WSU Veterinary Hospital. From the moment I stepped through the door on a Sunday afternoon they were unexpectedly and extraordinarily supportive. She was given every opportunity and every bit of care and support that was available and possible. The staff and students were so thoughtful to both my needs and hers. I don’t have the words to express the depth of my gratitude but let me give an example: Somewhere along the way I had started calling her my bear and although I laughed at the idea of calling my cat a bear, it stuck. It was one of many small amazing acts by the staff at WSU that helped me that when I received her final paw print in clay not only was her name stamped in the clay, right there with it was “bear”. Something they had noticed and decided on their own that was perfect and heartbreaking and amazing all at the same time. I don’t hesitate for a second to say these people are miraculous in their ability to care for other people and their animals.
Jackie S.
I was not going to get another cat. But my aunt introduced me to this abandoned kitten she had hand-raised and I spent one weekend falling in love with her. I couldn’t say no. She had this muddled gray and tan coloring and I said she looked like a rotten peach, so she became Peaches.
We lived alone, so it was just the two of us. She was always there when I woke up in the morning, to say goodbye to me went I left for work, say hello when I came home, and right there beside me went I went to bed each night. From the very first, I always had a difficult time leaving her each day, but when I got home, she’d let me hold her for just a minute before she wanted to be put down again. She wasn’t much of a cuddler; only when I got home and when I went to bed at night. But she loved to play. I was constantly trying out new toys with her. Her first toy was a gift from our neighbor, a mouse on a bouncy pole. After years, she had stripped the mouse of all accessories until it was just a plastic base, but it remained her favorite all her life. She also loved balls. Mostly I would just throw them at the walls and she would catch them on the rebound and then wait for the next one. So we had lots and lots of balls. Q-Tips – and don’t tell me how she knew the difference, but only the real Q-Tips would work – she loved to toss them around. She also liked to open drawers and cupboards to explore. But she was not an outdoor exploring cat. I could leave the doors wide open and she would never go further than the end of our row of apartments. I read a lot and if I left my books out you could find her laying on it. The only treat she ever liked, and I tried them all, was tuna or bonita flakes. A recommendation from an acquaintance when I first got her turned into a lifetime love affair with the treat. I could talk forever about my Peaches. I miss her a great deal. She was beautiful and loving and playful and always with me. I am not as close to another person as I was to her.
As difficult as losing her is, it would probably have been even more difficult without the help of WSU Veterinary Hospital. From the moment I stepped through the door on a Sunday afternoon they were unexpectedly and extraordinarily supportive. She was given every opportunity and every bit of care and support that was available and possible. The staff and students were so thoughtful to both my needs and hers. I don’t have the words to express the depth of my gratitude but let me give an example: Somewhere along the way I had started calling her my bear and although I laughed at the idea of calling my cat a bear, it stuck. It was one of many small amazing acts by the staff at WSU that helped me that when I received her final paw print in clay not only was her name stamped in the clay, right there with it was “bear”. Something they had noticed and decided on their own that was perfect and heartbreaking and amazing all at the same time. I don’t hesitate for a second to say these people are miraculous in their ability to care for other people and their animals.
Jackie S.
