Good Bye, Mohawk We Will Miss You

A little over fifteen years ago my wife and four young daughters went to the city animal shelter and picked out a little white kitten to bring home as our first family pet. Back then the little kittne had a strip of black hair down the middle of her head, and so we named her Mohawk.

Mohawk has been a good and faithful pet. In my first years of work here I was out it seemed almost every night and Mohawk kept my wife company after the kids went to bed.

Perhaps because she was taken away from her siblings at such a young age Mohawk never really learned how to "play bite." So, horsing around with Mohawk has always been a dicey matter. When she bites, even in play, it draws blood!

But it's fun to "box" with her. She has no front claws, and she likes to stand up on her haunches and bat your hand as you play box with her. When she was younger you could also chase her around the house on your hands and knees. She would "hide" and pounce out at you from behind a door or between a chair and table. That was always fun.

I wish pets lived longer and we didn't have to go through the inevitable so many times over the course of life. I have a high view of animal life and their dignity - without being a neurotic pet owner. I think the relationship bonds we form with animals are real and significant. It is truly hard when we have to say goodbye.

Mohawk's body is no longer working as it ought; she seems very stressed (mostly by our other cats), and it is hard to pet or hold her without it seeming to cause pain. She has lost a lot of weight. We have to keep her in the bathroom more and more just to keep her from ruining the rest of the house. It's time, and that is very sad.

We'll have a few more days with her and then I will take her in. I've had to do this many times in my life. It's never easy, but there is a kind of honor in it.

Mohawk has been with us for all of my 11 year old daughter's life, most of my 17 year old daughter's life, and was my oldest daughter's first pet. She has been a great and constant companion for my wife all these years. There will be many tears in my house in the days ahead.

For more pictures of our felines past and present look here.