Sketches of Gray

There was no way I could know that these attempts to practice sketching would be the last sketches of our cat Spaulding Gray. She and my honey were catnapping on the sofa on a Saturday afternoon.

Come Monday, we knew things weren't right with her and I promised to take her to the vet because my man was out of town for a few days for work-related training. Come Tuesday, Gray was gone.







It's been a week. I can't get that picture of her on the table at the vets office out of my head. Everytime I see it, I tear up. I hadn't realized how strong a bond I had formed with this cat that I have only known for almost two years.

In Gray's last moments, she gave me a wonderful gift in the way she said goodbye. Gray had been a stray cat and had had trust issues ever since she came to live inside. She lived for a year under the bed. Friends and neighbors doubted her existance because no one ever saw her. When my honey moved into our apartment, things were quieter. He began to coax Gray out from under the bed. She finally decided that this person wasn't so bad and so she adopted the sofa.

I met Gray almost two years ago when I started dating her sofa mate. Having been a stray, Gray didn't learn to play like other cats. She was afraid of feet and as soon as someone new entered the room, she would start watching their feet. She was still very skiddish.

Then a miracle happened. She grew accustomed to having another person in the house. She started interacting with me. Maybe it was because it was winter and she was cold, but she started sitting in my lap. She discovered that laps were nice and she began to sit in any lap that was positioned just right. She would get all comfortable and start to pur. When she was really happy, her purring sounded like "tribbling". Think back to the early Star Trek episodes that involved tribbles. That's what she sounded like.

Eventually, we were able to get her to start playing with some string and other cat toys. She really started realizing that people weren't so bad, although she remained guarded with strangers.

That morning, I went into the vet's office. I was trying to hold back tears and was being quite unsuccessful. I was asked if I wanted to visit with her for a while. Of course I did. She was brought in and placed on a towel on the examination table. She saw me and meowed. She had been very nervous when the vet brought her in, but now she was laying on the towel. I was petting and talking to her and she relaxed. She began to tribble and I new she was happy to see me. She felt the bond too and she was letting me know that.

In a few minutes, she was releived of her pain and suffering from the cancer that had taken hold of her.


Rest in peace, Spaulding Gray.