Tinkerbell

I lost a Wisher a couple of weeks ago.  At the end of my Valentine’s post I said that I would be sharing this loss on the blog the next week.  But then – I lost my dear friend Andrea.  Time sort of stood still for a bit there.  Andrea always knew about any little souls who had moved on to the Rainbow Bridge before I wrote my Farewell posts to them.  We were in contact so much that she was always informed of any kitties about to move on.  She did not, however, know about Tinkerbell.  During the time that I was losing Tink, Andrea was in the hospital.  Then Andrea moved on herself.  I wrote about that last week.

Before I write about Tinkerbell, let me thank two more people who have sent a paypal gift to Winnie’s Wish in memory of Andrea.

Terry – THANK YOU.

Mary – THANK YOU.

As I said in last week’s post, I know the two of you just made Andrea smile.

I want to also say thank you to everyone who emailed me and who left messages on the blog and on Facebook.  I appreciate your condolences so very much.  It will be a long time before my broken heart mends.

 

I will dedicate this week to my little princess Tinkerbell.  What a little doll she was!

Some of you might remember the stories on this blog about the abandoned hotel in Florida that my family and I discovered while on vacation.  I became involved with some rescuers in the area, and I even ended up with some of those “hotel” cats.  Cheryl is the wonderful person I was in contact with the most.  And one year, when I had space at Winnie’s Wish, Cheryl trapped three kitties at the hotel and between the two of us we were able to get them on a transport from Florida all the way to me.  You can read that story in these two posts:  the Florida hotel cats and Florida hotel cats (conclusion).

 

Tinkerbell and Peter Pan in my bathroom when they first arrived here

 

 

 

Cheryl named these guys Quinn, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell.  Peter Pan and Tinkerbell were brother and sister from the same litter.  They were all three feral, but Quinn ended up adjusting well over the years and Peter Pan and Tink were young enough that I felt sure I could tame them.  They did come around and I hoped they would be chosen for adoption.  At one point, Tinkerbell was one of two Wishers that was being considered for adoption.  The other cat was chosen and Tink stayed here.  Looking back, I’m really glad it worked out that way.  She ended up being a true joy in my life.

Peter Pan died at the age of 3 years from what I was told by the vet was probably a congenital kidney disease.  This made it likely that Tink, as the biological sibling, could succumb as well.  But Tinkerbell lived to be 11 ½ years old.  It was still kidney disease that took her life in the end.  But she lived a great life here during those years.  Tinkerbell and Peter Pan lived together until his death at such a young age.  After that, Tinkerbell didn’t really have a bond with another cat.  She did, however, get along fine with everybody.  Then Theo came along and for some strange reason, these two hit it off.  They have been roommates (in their kitty condo) ever since.  I’ve described the kitty condos here before.  They are dog runs in my kennel that I have converted to cat areas.  There is an indoor area and an outdoor area for each run.  The cats who live in these kitty condos LOVE them.  They can be inside or outside any time they wish.  (Of course, all of the cats here have access to outdoor areas – the cathouse has an outdoor deck for each room.)  What I can say about Tinkerbell is what is true of all of the Wishers.  She would nearly break her neck to get to a hiding place when anyone other than me came into her world.  But she sure did love me.  And I loved her.  Of all of the Wishers, there have been two who pour out more love onto me than all of the others.  Tinkerbell was one of those two.  We had a whole ritual which I called our “love fest” each morning and each evening.  This sweet baby would run and jump to a certain shelf on her one of her cat trees and start meowing and reaching out for me.  I would pet and pet and pet and we would talk to each other and when I would finally start trying to move on, she would grab me with one or both paws to get just a little more attention.

 

 

Tinkerbell died on February 12.  This is a picture from the next to last day she was with me. 

 

I was so lucky that she could die at home.  The Wishers are feral-background cats and any time they can stay here – in the only home they’ve known – it’s a blessing.  

I sure miss those love fests with my sweet little girl.

Tinkerbell – Farewell.

 

Comments

[Cassandra B.]

Oh, sweet Tinkerbell. I remember when you got her. I’m so sorry she’s gone. What a rough few weeks for you. **hugs**

[The Poupounette Gang]

Farewell, Tinkerbell. Your life with Chrystal was filled with love, and you will always be remembered.

[John Bellen]

I recall the hotel rescue, and I recall Peter Pan, too. Such a wonderful life Tinkerbell had, not just the comforts of home but her companionship with her brother, then with Theo, and with you. A cat's life doesn't get better than friendship, security, food and comfort. But Tinkerbell has gone now to the only place where she will know something better than the Wishers' cat-house. Godspeed, Tinkerbell, and God bless her family.