‘Tis a rare thing to find a Carrie in a house without cats. I was born into a house with a cat, and that same cat was with me all the way to my senior year in high school. There were five catless years after that while I plowed through college. Soon after graduation I acquired Renton, with Hermione following a year later.
Yesterday we lost our sweet, cuddly Hermione to the vicious scourge of cancer. After almost eleven years of a cat-filled home, we are catless once again.
Poor Hermione deserved a much better hand than what she was dealt. Her fast-growing tumor did not ravage her entire body as many cancers do — it grew hard and fast right under her tongue. Only a few weeks after her initial diagnosis, the tumor was so large she was unable to eat. She was absolutely healthy otherwise, but for a cat that has always immensely enjoyed her food, this was nigh on to torture.
We’ve only had one night without her so far but I can already tell it will be the nights when I miss her the most. As soon as Steven and I climbed into bed Hermione would jump right in with us, cuddling into our faces, slowly edging up until she was blocking whatever book we were perusing. She’d settle down around my legs once the lights were off, turning on the ” ‘Mione Effect” until we were asleep.
So far, Lydia is taking the loss of Hermione better than Renton. Hermione was never as much of a fan of the kids as Renton was, and most of their memories of Hermione will be a cat trying to escape their clutches.
Now we’re a family of four. Steven and I have repeatedly said that Renton and Hermione would be our last cats. This was usually uttered alongside other choice words while we cleaned up Renton’s latest barf puddle or tripped over Hermione begging for food in the kitchen. I’m sure we’ll renege on our oaths sooner rather than later.
A house without some cats in it just isn’t a home.
