a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Our First Lady Has Died

No one actively sought cats for the farm.  In fact, none of us really liked cats.  Then Barnie came.
Appearing magically, she was a secret.  No one told and every one fed her at the barn.  We all fell in love with her and each secretly called her Barnie, I know, we are very original with our names.

One day, with the families gathered, one person confessed to feeding a cat in the barn, then we all had to confess.  We discovered we had already named her.  This is the way Barnie joined our life.

She was the queen of the farm, we fed her, loved her, nutured her, in return, she loved us, gave us beautiful babies and brought us gifts of adoration.  Barnie was a wonderful mother, a wonderful huntress and a great friend to us all.

Today, Marcy buried her.  We did not know she was sick, we did not know her age, we do know we shall miss her. 

Good bye, Barnie, thanks for enriching our lives.  You will live on in each of us At The Farm.

21 comments:

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Well I am crying for you and Marcy and for me and my loss. I miss my furry feline friends.

Lori E said...

Our sweet, crazy cat Alvin, lived for 18 years and is buried in my garden. It is where he always would stalk me and leap out to scare the crap out of me.
Barnie had you all wrapped around his little claws didn't he. I am sorry for the loss of your family member.

the Bag Lady said...

I am sorry for your loss.
We had a similar cat (called her Granny) who lived in the barn. We still have one of her sons who decided he was going to be a housecat, and succeeded. He is now getting old and finicky. The younger cat will bring him offerings - birds (if I am not fast enough to rescue them) and mice - in the winter. In the summer, Tommy will still catch his own mice. He has even caught and killed a weasel and brought it home for ME!
We never got a chance to bury Granny cat - she just didn't come back to the barn after one of her frequent journeys to parts unknown.

Rudee said...

Farewell, Barnie.

Gail, you are a magnet for these animals--who can blame them for wanting to be around you and a family that cares?

Silliyak said...

So sorry for your loss.

Rural Rambler said...

Sorry Gail. Barnie was treated well At The Farm. Not all kittehs are that fortunate. Was Barnie Orange's Mom?

Judy said...

So sorry for your loss...lost my oldest last year...she was (let me see, she came to us in 1986 I believe) 23...was a part of our home for a long time...Have a couple new pussycats now, one older and one younger...cats are almost always a rescue from something...usually they just arrive at our house...

rebecca said...

It's so hard when one loses an animal, isn't it? We open our hearts to these loving creatures who fill us with so much joy. But with all of the animal abuse that goes on in this world, I am always thankful in the end when an animal has had the blessings to have been paired with a human that loves it and is compassionate towards it. That is the very best gift you could have ever given Barnie and she was blessed and she had a very good life.

Far Side of Fifty said...

I am sorry, it is never easy to say goodbye to a good friend..it sounds like she was a great kitty and she had a really good home..and a good life..who could ask for more:)

Gigi Ann said...

So sorry Barnie is gone.. We had a mother cat like that when we had the farm, she had her kitties, caught her mice, ate the cat food, for many years, and then one day we found her, we think she died in childbirth. She was just to old to keep having kitties.

But, I'm sure her young ones will bring you joy just like Barnie did.

cwa said...

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved kitty. It is amazing how much you can come to love a cat. I think they are good for our souls, drawing out our nurturing, loving side.

Melbourne Girl said...

Gail, it's so sad when you lose such a loved member of the family.
I know she had a wonderful life with you though...and you have some of her offspring, so she lives on...My thoughts are with you
Lesley

An English Shepherd said...

Ao sorry to read of your loss.

Looked like s sweet cat.

Wizz

Leslie said...

I am sorry for your loss. All of the animals that enter our lives touch our hearts in a very special way and a piece of it goes with them when they go. She was very lucky to have you and your family as her own.

Unknown said...

I have 2 barn cats and they have a job to do and do it well. They have jumped into my heart like I never thought they would and I can sure understand where you are coming from. They are both still young but I have been wondering what it will be like when they are gone. They will be hard to replace.

RIP Barnie you will be missed!

Spring Lake Farm said...

I know she will be missed!

allhorsestuff said...

Oh good bye sweet torte cat that was well loved!
Kac

VioletSky said...

I cannot imagine a farm without a barn cat.
Love that last shot with the kitty.

mrscravitz said...

I am so sorry about your loss!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Oooh! She was so pretty! Did she leave behind many of her progeny for you to enjoy, too?

I'm so sorry.


~Lisa

Schattenmann Jeanette said...

I actually cried while reading this post. It is very sad when an animal dies but when you have so many other lovely animals near you, you kind of get on with it. Mrs. Gail, you must think that she is in a better place where no dogs can chase her. I thought of that when my 8 month old kitten died by a car. We walked out the door and there was a pool of blood in the street. We knew it was his. I blamed myself because my mother had put me in charge of him in order to get him in the house. I thought about the beauty of cat-paradise and just thought of all the beautiful mice he could catch there. Think about it. No illnesses, no more deaths and lots of mice. Don't be sad any more. Think that you will have her locked deep inside your heart.

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