A Place for Goldy

My sister said I’ve been given a gift. And in my heart, she was right.  I’ve been given one of many gifts as I reflect on my life with Goldy.

I’ll never forget the phone call last July.  My mother was just visiting from New York City and we were heading back home after a visit to the zoo. 

It was difficult to really concentrate on anything and I knew that I wasn’t the best company at that time.  I was on edge, worried about Goldy, my oldest cat.  We were waiting for his test results.   The vet told me to call that Wednesday to get the lab results.

I called her as soon as I got into my car. The minute she spoke, I knew something was wrong. She confirmed what we had all been dreading. Goldy had cancer.

I had hoped and prayed that the lump on his rear paw was just arthritis. Everything seems like a blur now. I was going to lose my best friend and I didn’t know when.

Given his age and medical history, we decided not to consider chemotherapy or radiation. He was almost twenty years old and I couldn’t put him through such invasive and traumatic treatment.  We decided to take it one day at a time and make his remaining days with us as comfortable and as peaceful as possible.

My sister told me to treat this time with him as a gift, a blessing. She said not many people are lucky to have the unique opportunity to say goodbye.

Goldy has been with me half my life, my best friend and animal soulmate. I’ve realized I’ve been given a precious gift when he entered my life.  And I can’t begin to count the many blessings he’s given me by sharing his life with me.

We had been through a lot together, through rocky roads from homeless shelters to the streets. He was my anchor, a constant in my life, no matter what. Through good times and bad times, through times of laughter and through times of tears, Goldy was there, right beside me and Sweetie, my thirteen-year old cat.

Sweetie has assigned herself as his guardian angel.  I remember some moments when she has alerted me to Goldy’s distress. I remember when we first found out Goldy had diabetes.  We struggled for months trying to find the correct level of insulin for him.

I remember when Goldy went into a diabetic coma. But a couple of days prior, Sweetie began to yowl constantly, especially when we were out of her sight.  Normally not a vocal cat, she kept crying. Whenever I was sitting, she came up to me and started pawing my ear.  Her way, I’ve learned since then, of telling me to listen more closely. There’s been a few more close calls with Goldy since then.

Sometimes, I am overwhelmed with guilt because there is nothing I can do to heal him and I am unsure if I am prolonging his pain and suffering.

Today, I won’t wish for the moon or the stars. Just one more summer with him, sitting outside basking in the warm summer rays together.  I’ve already been granted many miracles in my life.

I thought of all the animals that have chosen to share their lives with me.  And I know that I am not the only one whose life has been enriched by them.  I wanted to have a medium where people can share stories about their animal friends, to serve as a bridge between the human and animal world and spotlight the many different roles animals play in our daily lives.

This is dedicated to Goldy, who has helped me grow and become the person that I am today.  For that, I thank him.  And for all the animals of yesterday and today, who continue to teach us the true meaning of compassion and love.

 -- Garbo C.

“I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul.” -- Jean Cocteau