Nobody wanted her She was our Chatte Noire. Darker than a shadow in the night. A kitty nobody wanted. A stray that my aunt found and took pity on. My aunt was a crazy cat lady and took in many strays, fed them, gave them medical attention and was amazing good at finding homes for them. All except for Umbra. She took the food my aunt gave her and slept in her basement but never let anyone go near her. In fact she wouldn’t even stay in the same room with a human. When my aunt got sick and could no longer care for all the kitties, she found homes for all except Umbra. No one wanted a cat they couldn’t even approach. So we ended up with her. She become acclimated to our home and tolerated our other cats. However if one got to close or tried to play she would unload on it. She made it clear she just wanted to be left alone. For about five years things stayed the same. She ate and slept in the house but would not stay in the same room with us. Finally one night while I was sitting on the sofa she suddenly jumped up and laid next to me. I was shocked. I hesitantly started to pet her and she actually started purring. She left after about ten minutes but the next day instead of just laying next to me she jumped on my lap. As I stroked her she started purring loudly and rubbed her head against me. It was like she finally figured out that the two legs she lived with weren’t all bad. She turned into a sweet and very affection cat that loved human attention. It took her long enough but she finally figured it out. Unfortunately kitties age much quicker than their two legged servants. Umbra got old. We never even knew how old she was. We had her for 16 years but might have been much older than that. We could tell she was slowing down. Lab tests showed that she was in renal failure. The medications and the subcutaneous fluids we gave her only delayed the inevitable. Last night she laid down next to my wife, put her head on my wife’s lap, started purring softly and died. Quietly and peacefully. With the humans that it took her so long to trust. We buried her in the wild flower garden. Like all the kitties we have lost over the years she will be mourned and then her life celebrated. And like all our kitties she was truly part of the family. Sleep softly old friend and may you have wonderful dreams. You will be missed.
