Josie is actually still with us as I'm writing this. My mom is sitting by her side as we wait to take her to the vet. She's had breathing problems for a while now, and they've finally caught up with her. But I still wanted to take this moment to reflect on her life, while she's still with us.
Josie spent the majority of her life living like a kitten. Even as a full adult cat for many years, she always still felt like a kitten to us, and it's because she was always so full of life and whimsy. She was an incredibly smart cat, perhaps the smartest cat I've ever known, and was also very sociable to a degree unlike what I've experienced with any other cat as well. And she always liked to play. She always chased her toy mice around, and whenever she'd catch one, she'd cry out for attention until someone finally gave their attention to her. She was so proud of her catch, and wanted nothing more than for the world to acknowledge her feat.
It really wasn't until we got our new kitten last year, Leo, that Josie appeared to finally grow up. She was always a very loud and talkative kitty, but she quieted down after Leo's arrival, and finally she was acting more like an adult cat than the kitten we had always knew her as. But perhaps she grew up a little too fast, and her age caught up with her, because she gradually started to deteriorate, until suddenly, it wasn't so gradual anymore, and her body was rejecting her medication.
We've made her comfortable in these last days. She's slept with her favorite pillow, and I've been sure to visit with her and give her loving pats. I'm going to really miss her. She's been a great cat, a rare breed indeed, and it feels like she's being taken from us far too soon. Rest in peace, Josie. You were one of the good ones.
