Remembering Amber

[karatemom2]

We had to say goodbye to Amber on April 16th.  She was 19.  We were fortunate in that her passing was not related to the tainted food issue, so we didn't have to deal with the horrible feelings associated with that.  I don't know what I would have done if that would  have been the case.  I feel for all of you who have suffered losses because of that.  Amber was a very remarkable kitty.  She came into our lives as an abandoned kitten just before the birth of our first child, so she has grown up along with our children!  She despised all other cats except for the cat who lived with us when she moved in, and that bond with Midnight was close until he passed away at 16 years of age.  Amber was a wonderful companion to our two sons, a persistant cuddle bug.  She did everything with our family, including travel the midwest and eastern United States and Canada in her carrier with our family and travel trailer.  I used to joke that she was easier to travel with than the kids because she would just sleep and not hassle us with "Are we there yet??"  As her senior years advanced, her arthritis made it harder for her to walk and she lost her vision.  Yet she always used her litter box.  She always knew when we came in the room, and always came to greet us, looking for a pet and a scratch behind the ear.  Even on her last day, she struggled to come to us.  She was a very tough and determined kitty.  We are going to miss her on our vacation this year.  My bedroom just won't be the same without her. 

[Mary K]

Karatemom2, I know you will miss her. That kitty sounded like a great travel companion. There are not too many traveling cats that I know of. I am very sorry for your loss.   

[karatemom2]

Thank you.  You know, we are very lucky.  Our most recent kitty addition, Holly seems to be following in Amber's paw prints.  We rescued Holly from under our deck 1 1/2 years ago (I caught her in a trap).  She was about 5 months old and totally wild.  No one thought we could tame her.  But I did.  And not only did I tame her, but she is 99% domesticated.  A total lap kitty.  She is only "feral" in that she is a little cautious, spooks easily in new situations and with new people, but she warms up very quickly.  But the hilarious thing is that she has bonded with my two toy dogs and thinks she's a dog and a member of the pack.  She holds her tail over her back like they do.  Get this, she's crate trained! It's her den and that's where her litter box is.  She comes when she's called.  She's the one that likes dog biscuits.  (See my dog biscuit recipe that I posted).  AND, she travels in her carrier when we go camping or off to visit my folks (they love cats, so they get their cat fix when I bring her over).  So she's every bit the travel kitty that Amber was.  So we are blessed to have her.   Having her has helped us deal with our loss of Amber.  While she will never replace Amber, she certainly will help fill the void in our hearts.