Caption from a January 2009 post: We caught Tiny in a Rembrandt Moment this afternoon as she stared atop Tuck's computer at things we don't see in the countdown to supper. Update from Tuck in the comments: "Here is a masterpiece. This portrait speaks to the wonder of our beloved companions; here is a thinking, compassionate, responsive, introspective being."
We lost our angel baby this morning. Fifteen years old, not that old for a cat, but Sweet Tiny Pea had raged against the dying of the light for many years with a number of afflictions that never kept her down for long. "She enjoys being a cat," Tuck always said in delight and awe. Tiny took no prisoners, but Tuck's cat whispering would reduce her to drooling rapture. She was a force of nature, a brilliant athlete and the apple of her suitor, Earl Grey's eye. Last night and this morning when she refused food and was breathing with increasing difficulty, she seemed to be telling us it was time to join her brother, Baby Cakes the Magnificent, after too short a stay on this mortal coil. In remembrance, a republication of our March 2009 post "The Ecstasy of Sweet Tiny":
March 12, 2009. Sisu proudly presents the seventh folio in "The Ecstasy of Sweet Tiny" series. Click here for larger image. The full collection to date:
The purple prose that is Obama's presidency
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
"There was nothing whatever to be seen on the twig"
Amazing grace.
Update: Thank you dear friends, old and new, for your kind and comforting comments. From Chris Muir:
Cats have 10 lives … the 10th is our memory of them.
Update II: More bittersweet thoughts and memories:
"I can conjure her up via the magic of memory whenever I wish."
Update III: "We never really forget them, writes ailurophile Meryl Yourish in a bittersweet tribute with fluffericious photographs of her "Maine Coon orange boy … Tig, the goofball, who makes me laugh on a daily basis."
My condolences Sissy! Very sad to hear it.
Posted by: SolBlog | April 07, 2011 at 01:50 PM
Sorry to hear that. Wife and I lost three geriatric kitties over about a year's time about two years ago, and that was very tough, so I know how it feels.
Posted by: HeartbreakRidge | April 07, 2011 at 01:56 PM
Ohhhhhh...that is just the WORST. So sorry.
Posted by: S. Weasel | April 07, 2011 at 01:58 PM
I'm so sorry, Sissy. It's so sad to lose such an important part of your family! We've gone through it way too many times with our kitties and dogs. And it never gets easier.
Posted by: Beth Donovan | April 07, 2011 at 02:10 PM
Condolences Sissy.
We've lost two cats over the years: a brother and sister adopted in Denver and transported to California. One died a violent accidental death and the other was lost in a still unsolved disappearance.
As a child I lost two dogs: the first by a violent death in the street under the wheels of speeding car when I was 6 (I wish I hadn't seen that but I did). The second, a beloved replacement, died of old age. We remember them all according to how they lived and died. In that way they are no different than people.
Posted by: chickelit | April 07, 2011 at 02:25 PM
I'm so sorry, Sissy. This is never ever easy.
Posted by: Barry | April 07, 2011 at 03:51 PM
May happy memories of beautifull Tiny help soothe the loss of your dear friend.
Posted by: goomp | April 07, 2011 at 05:13 PM
Awe. it is always sad to see our furry friends go.
They truly become part of the family.
Posted by: Stix1972 | April 07, 2011 at 05:34 PM
I am so, so sorry.
Posted by: cathy | April 07, 2011 at 07:05 PM
P.S. That "Rembrandt" pic is magnificent.
Posted by: cathy | April 07, 2011 at 07:07 PM
Sissy, losing a pet is a tough thing. My condolences, mi amiga. Remember the great times you had with your kitty companion.
Posted by: KingShamus | April 07, 2011 at 08:32 PM
Friends like that are impossible to replace. I'm so sorry.
Posted by: CGHill | April 07, 2011 at 09:23 PM
So very sorry to hear such sad news, dear Sissy. Such beautiful pictures, but heartbreaking to lose her.
Posted by: retriever | April 07, 2011 at 09:46 PM
Oh, Sissy...I am sorry to read this. How well I know this sense of loss. We have been through this several times with feline companions; the pain is always rich and deep, and incredibly surprising each time it happens.
Thank you for sharing this tribute to Tiny. The Rembrandt photo is stunning, and you are right: cats see things we do not. In fact, I am convinced they are not of this world.
Sending condolences.
Posted by: aine | April 07, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Sissy, I am so sorry to hear about sweet Tiny's passing. I lost my beloved Princess (not quite 15 at the time) February a year ago to a ruptured spleen. My only comfort was that she let me know she was leaving me-- she woke me in the wee hours with an outcry (the vet said that she would have felt one sharp cramp and then lost consciousness very quickly)-- so I ran to her and got to stroke and hold her as she died. And at least Princess spared me having to make the decision every pet lover dreads.
Thank you for sharing Tiny and her brother Baby Cakes (and Earl Grey too) with us over the years. Those pictures of Tiny in ecstasy remind me of the light perpetual that shines for her now and will never fade. Requies-cat in pace.
Posted by: Connecticut Yankee | April 08, 2011 at 02:14 AM
Oh, no. I'm so very sorry, Sissy.
Posted by: pam | April 08, 2011 at 08:38 AM
Sorry to hear of your loss, Sissy. Your memorial to Tiny is beautiful. Thanks.
Posted by: Meade | April 08, 2011 at 03:49 PM
Cats have 10 lives...the 10th is our memory of them.
Posted by: Chris Muir | April 08, 2011 at 04:23 PM
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Seems your kitty had lots of kitty SISU. May she rest well on The Great Sofa in the Sky.
Posted by: Taxpayer | April 08, 2011 at 10:00 PM
We'll be with our beloved lost when we too cross the Rainbow Bridge, but in the meantime, the memory of Sweet Tiny will remain with all of us - including those who never met her except through the loving and perceptive eyes of her beloved Sissy and Tuck. I understand the grief and I hope that in time it will be tempered by memories of the joy she gave you! She was a remarkable creature and much cherished by all.
Posted by: Gayle Miller | April 09, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Thank you. Waves of sadness and remembrance.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | April 09, 2011 at 02:00 PM
Although I never met Tiny face-to-face, she has been a part of my life for many years, thanks to the medium of blogging and the power of the Internet. Our lives will be the poorer for her passing, but we will have so many happy moments to look back on thanks to your talent for finding beauty in unexpected places.
Posted by: Elisson | April 11, 2011 at 08:49 AM
"Cats have 10 lives … the 10th is our memory of them."
I will remember that.
Thank you for sharing them with us as we slowly lose our own.
-ls
Posted by: Laurence Simon | April 11, 2011 at 09:28 AM
Sissy & Tuck I am so sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing through your photos.
Posted by: Mark Bessette | April 11, 2011 at 12:22 PM
Sissy and Tuck
I'm late hearing the sad news. I know how much Tiny meant to you especially after the loss of Baby.
I'm sorry for your loss
Posted by: Jill | April 11, 2011 at 02:02 PM