The Last Night

May 22, 2017. It was hard to believe that we would soon be empty-nesters… The hardest part about having only fur babies as children is knowing they will go first, and leave you with a huge heartache.

Simba’s last week was an emotional roller-coaster for us as we prepared to say goodbye to her. Daddy had been away with medical visits for two weeks; his last week away was a nightmare. Simba had been getting weaker by the day; I never left her side and even carried her with me if I had to go outside. She perked up when I played videos of her favorite music– Maya and Mariposa playing violin. Then one day, I felt Simba slipping away in my arms. I called Daddy, thinking that was it; I knew he would want to at least be with us by phone if not in person to say goodbye to his little girl. We prayed and cried together; Simba perked up. She simply wasn’t leaving us without Daddy by her side. Just the same, Daddy canceled doctor appointments and flew home a week early as we knew the Lord calling Simba home. That Daddy-Simba time was so important. Simba and I had our final Mother’s Day together, complete with a photo shoot as per Simba’s request. But Daddy’s Little Girl needed her Daddy.

Simba had her Daddy, and Daddy had his Simba time for another week. Simba got to have all of her favorite things with her beloved daddy near her. She ate Daddy’s egg yolk, a bit of chicken, and a bit of tuna (both from Daddy’s hand, of course!). She made her way over to the kitchen to sit in the sun while she waited for Daddy, and she got to lay in her baskets on the balcony while we sat near her. Blindness had stopped her from jumping up on the balcony on her own for the past year.

Simba and I still had our Mommy-daughter time that week when Daddy took care of things outside of the house, so that one of us was always with her. At times, Simba would put her tiny paw in my hand, the way her sister Guerita had done in her final days. Moments like that stay in your heart forever.

We knew her time was near, but we didn’t know this would be her final night with us. Had we know, we would never have gone to sleep. Simba slept between us; her poor little legs couldn’t hold her up on the soft bed. Just a few days after Daddy came home, Simba walked up her stairs for the last time. Somehow, I knew at that moment it would be her last time on the stairs. No more Circus Kitty. And yet she kept going, purring and showing us love that week; she wasn’t ready to leave us.

That night- I barely slept, and Simba was different. Snuggled between us, she scooted as close as possible to Daddy, purring away, and did the best plop her poor little body could muster. Then she pushed with her paws to get her body to cuddle closer to Daddy, head upon him and all, as if she was trying to leave as much of her scent on him as possible. A half hour later, she scooted her way over to me and did the exact same thing. It was so incredibly precious! I woke Daddy up to witness it. The lump in my throat made it hard to breath, as I felt Simba was saying her goodbye and telling us how much she loved us with those amazing cuddles. She continued that way the entire night, back and forth, giving loving cuddles to Daddy and me.

Her son Roly Poly and her other babies were already in heaven waiting for her, as was her beloved sister Guerita. Family and friends kept us strong during those last days with their endless love, prayers and support. Through it all, we felt and knew we were immensely blessed.