Beau (As in Beau Diddley) The Cat

I know that cats don’t really have anything to do with travel or food. And I know they are popular on the internet, but this is certainly not my feeble attempt at clickbait. I just wanted to share a story I think will touch my friend Noemi’s heart, who loves cats. And maybe it will touch yours, too.

We are friendly with a couple in town who have a cat. An old one. Very old. I don’t know how old a cat has to be to qualify as a senior cat, but I’m guessing around 15 years old. His name was Beau.

Of course, these folks were very much in love with Beau; he was a cherished member of the family.

But this poor cat was sick. Cancer, kidney disease, respiratory infections, you name it. Poor Beau was clearly in a lot of pain, and it was painful for our friends to witness him suffering.

So they decided to put him to sleep. (You know what that’s a euphemism for.) They talked to a vet who would come by and administer the final can of tuna.

Well, it’s not really a last meal but a sedative to relax the poor cat so he drifts into a deep sleep (one of many cats’ favorite things), and then a fast-acting anesthetic is injected.

So, before the vet was scheduled to arrive, the husband took Beau in his arms and had a solemn talk with the cat, explaining in detail that they loved him very much but wanted to end his suffering and that a vet was on the way to do so.

The cat looked earnestly at him, lifted his tired body off the husband’s lap, and jumped down to the floor. Then Beau went over to one of his favorite places, a chair next to a sunny window, and he sat there for a few minutes.

Soon, he jumped off the chair and walked slowly to another favorite spot in the house, a rug by the sofa next to where the couple would watch TV in the evening. He sat there for a few minutes.

Next, he went outside and visited his favorite tree. He ate a blade of his favorite grass and then visited several other areas that he’d hung out in over the years.

Over the course of the next half hour, Beau went to each of his favorite spots and sat briefly in each place.

And then he walked to the front door and sat down to wait.