I think you all know by now that I have this huge fascination and love for cats. You'll see it on my cookie charms, free projects and in my house filled with Cat related posters! Today's project not only reflects my big love for these awesome animals but to take this precious time to dedicate it to one of my little fur babies that I have recently lost.
Our lives changed forever when on 7th February night of 1998, my brother brought home a little surprise that was given to him by his classmate as a birthday gift. Without my parents consent, my brother surprised us all by bringing home a little kitten. Frighten and doubtful, the little kitten jumped out of his hands and hid behind the sofa. You can imagine the shocked faces of my parents and the scoldings that my brother got. Although my siblings and I have always wanted a cat, my father has had his doubt about the idea. After explaining to us that we couldn't keep it, the little kitten peeked out of the sofa and walked towards my father as though it knew what he was saying. My father spotted him, held the kitten and started to warm him by stroking on his white fur (while continuously scolding us)! While still holding on to the cat, my father's voice started to soften...and somehow he started to divert his conversations. Repetitive disapproval sentences were now replaced with sentences like "you will have to scoop out his poo and pee out of the litter box everyday..". Although no definite approval word was said, we knew from that sentence that we would keep the cat forever. And we did...for almost 20 years.
We named him 'Simba'. He had soft white fur and a few black markings on his left ear, a little spot on his chin and a black tail. He came to us in February 1998 when he was about 5-6 months of age...so we presumed that he was born in late 1997. He was very rough when he played.. I got scratched and bitten by him numerous times, but still loved him unconditionally. He peed constantly in every corner of the house..even though is little box was clean. He killed many of my father's canaries and still allowed to stay in the house. We lost count of how many times he fell from our 1st floor apartment and still not scared to rest on the balcony's handrail. He survived numerous fights ( and one that was almost deadly ) with the neighborhood cats and still wanting to go and fight some more. He accompanied us to everywhere we go... from fishing in the weekends with the family to nature camping in the borders of Spain. He survived long hour flights from Portugal - Germany - Macau only to sneak out of the house and get lost in the city the next day upon arriving Macau. He survived miraculous and numerous kidney infections during his matured years which puzzled veterinarians.
After 6 years of his last kidney infection, our hearts were broken when in the evening of 28th May 2017 our little and dear furry friend lost his battle with stage 4 of kidney disease. My dear Simba was surrounded by the whole family during the last minutes of his life. I have never felt so shattered and emotionally drained. The tension in the room was as if you were drowning in emotions...Your throat tied into a knot forbidding any word to be spoken. It was just tears pouring.. kisses and hugs were given to his little head as our broken hearts said our farewells.
As weird as it might sound, I wouldn't change how my cat passed on into his new life. Simba was surrounded by loved ones in a tender age of 19. Those final moments were beautiful but very heartbreaking. It's hard to put all these emotions in words...but all I know it all felt right and Lord knows we did the best we could to save him. After defying unfortunate endings of how he could had passed on, like being ran over a car, killed by a dog or lost and never found, my Simba remained with us until the very end. And that for me is more than enough to sooth our broken hearts that day. He passed on not like a pet...but as a member of the family. And will always remain in our hearts until the last days of our lives.
This embroidery pattern is not only designed for furry cat friends who had passed on but also to show your love to those who are still here with us.
The pattern is approx 6.2 inches and it can be framed into a 8-9 inch hoop. The kitty on the pattern is Simba by the way, so please feel free to modify it according to your cat's furry color and markings :)
Please click on the link to download pattern in its original size.
With a recovering heart but with a hope so big that this pain will be healed one day, I wish you a wonderful day...and happy crafting! Don't forget to hug your cat/dog and tell them they are so loved...
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