Back in July 1997 Bill Clinton was president, Men In Black was topping the box office and gas cost $1.22 per gallon. I suppose this was all well and good at the time, but what made the month really special was the birth of a cat that would be named Daisy. Of course we didn’t meet Daisy until she was a few months old – in September to be precise – but she endeared herself to us immediately.
There she is, only a day or two after we got her! Impossible cute, full of energy and a real terror to the other two (Ziggi and Bootsy) we had in those days. As with all kittens her preferred activity was endlessly running, in her case up and down stairs carrying a fluffy pink toy with her. She also enjoyed chasing feathers and laser pointers, and was particularly good at jumping many times her height.
As all cats do, Daisy grew up and slowed down a bit, but was always there. She was not a cat that hid. If she wasn’t in your lap she’d be on the floor in plain sight, often in her preferred ‘arms crossed’ pose.
Daisy is about four in the above photo. She became a big girl quickly, and her fur made her seem bigger. But she was always the most well behaved cat we had, and developed a sort of matronly personality. She was always aloof around our other cats, but we always suspected she liked them better than she was prepared to reveal. This was proven after Bootsy died and Daisy for a short while was our only cat. In those days she would wander the house and cry a lot. She was lonely. We think she was overjoyed when we welcomed Yossie into our lives, although the tables had now been turned and the then nine-year-old Daisy was now the one being terrorized by a kitten 🙂
As Daisy grew older she had trouble grooming and we started having her shaved. As she grew older still she developed a thyroid problem that required daily medication. But she was still her happy, personable self. A cat that loved a lap, and loved a pat, and slept with us on the bed every night. She was a small thing and yet such a large part of our lives: the only one of our cats that had been with us through many jobs, many homes and so many of our years. The fact she had known Ziggi and Bootsy was special as well; we’d tell ourselves that Daisy would occasionally tell Yoss and Emi about their wonderful departed ‘brothers’.
After 16 long years Daisy left us yesterday.She had sharply declined over the weekend, and when we took her to the vet they found a lump and – although it’s the most awful decision to make – we knew it was time to say goodbye.
Daisy was always warm, always happy and always loved. While the sadness is still so very profound for Kristin and I, Daisy is now sleeping, hopefully dreaming forever of feather toys, laser pointers, catnip binges and a comfortable sleep in her mum’s lap.
Farewell Great Queen Daisy, you will be forever missed.
