Our Cat Named Ninja

This blog post is in loving memory to honor our precious cat, Ninja. 

 May you forever rest in the arms of angels.

All my life I wanted a cat as a pet.  As a child, I could not have one for many reasons including a house full of people allergic to the fur.  Therefore, when I moved out and lived on my own, I decided to adopt a cat.  Her name was Ninja.

In 2012, there was an advertisement on Craigslist and it showed a picture of a malnourished 1 year old cat.  She had beautiful black fur with white paws and a white belly.  The ad deemed her “unadoptable because people only want to adopt kittens and no one wants a cat".  And the ad continued with, "...but if she is not adopted she will have to be put to sleep” because the shelter simply could not keep her any longer.  I saw the pictures, I saw the ad and I saw our cat named Ninja Mittens Massaconi. 

Ninja earned her name because the owner of the shelter would see her doing little ninja-like back flips off the couch in the middle of the night when the kittens were sleeping.  And she clearly exemplified her name through actions such as squeezing under the dresser, hiding under the kitchen table, and sneaking onto my husbands lap for her daily dose of Daddy pets. 

Ninja was a very special cat.  Whenever I was physically or mentally ill, she would lay with me on our bed.  There were days of depression where she would not leave my side, snuggled up at my hip keeping me company.  On those days, she provided me comfort and reminded me that her love was unconditional. 

Ninja never missed a family dinner because she always sat underneath my daughter’s chair while we ate.  And although she was not much of a “lap cat”, she always sat with my husband while he worked remotely.  She slept at our feet at night and meowed for breakfast first thing every morning.  At some point, setting an alarm clock became redundant because we always had a "Ninja meowing alarm" instead. 

Ninja was a part of our family for many years.  Unfortunately, a month ago, we were devastated when she was diagnosed with bone cancer.  Yet we kept asking ourselves, "Ninja's last forever, don’t they?"  However, the world had other plans and our Ninja passed away last Friday.  There is not a day that goes by that we do not think about the profound presence she had in our lives. 

She was a special cat and today, I wear my high heels for her.  She battled cancer like a champion.  She persevered for a month through this horrible illness, and she still purred and loved on all of us as we surround her with pets and kisses on the forehead during her last weeks on earth.  Our hearts ache now that she has left this world but our family will never forget the presence she had in our lives and the little furry legacy that she left behind. 

Love Note:  With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

A Horrible Week

 

We could beat around the bush and say that it has been a decent week or an okay week.  We could brush it off and chalk it up to the weather being 55 degrees in the middle of the winter.  Or we can call it what it was and call it "horrible". 

I have had a migraine all week.  I have been totally stressed out at work.  I am completely exhausted and not sleeping and when I do sleep I am not sleeping well at all.  And my daughter loves her father more than she loves me.  How do I know this you may ask?  Because this week, she told me she did. 

When I tell you that every single day this week I laid in bed thinking of different ways to end my life, I am not lying to you.  That is how seriously scary this week has been for me.  But I am not telling you that for you to throw me into the hospital.  I am tell you that to show you my strength.  Because I am still here to talk about it and I got through the…hopefully…worst of it.  It is Friday, is it not? 

I went to counseling this week and he said, “celebrate the little things in life”.  Which at the time seemed annoying to me and I wanted to punch my counselor in the face.  How could you tell me to celebrate when I feel so lousy? 

But honestly how can you not celebrate your life when we are at rock bottom but you chose to get up every day.  You chose to take your medications and take them on time.  You chose to snuggle with the cat instead of making that alcoholic beverage.  And you chose to put your high heels on when all you want to do is turn off your alarm and throw the blankets over your head.  

So, my friends, another week is over and I am still here to talk about it.  Some of my major projects are coming to a close and that helps the stress.  My migraine medications have finally arrived at the pharmacy (it only took 4 days) so I can get some relief tonight.  And even though my daughter loves her daddy more than she loves me, I will take it with a grain of salt because I know she plays favorites. 

Every time I see that little twinkle in my daughters eye, I am reminded of how blessed I am.  Blessings mean nothing unless you can see them and feel them and understand them and know them in your heart.  And when things get dark, you do not see the light on the path.  But being that I am living proof of it, I will tell you, that if you put your high heels on every day, one day at a time, maybe just maybe the light will start trickling in again. 

 

 Love Note:  With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

Pet Therapy

My cat’s name is Ninja and she is seven years old.  My dog’s name is Valerie and she is two years old.  Valerie is the baby in the family and Ninja is the eldest.  Our daughter falls in between the two fur babies at three and a half years old.  I will write plenty more blogs about her but this one is about our furry friends. 

I was browsing the internet… facebook to be exact… looking for… actually I have no idea what I was looking for.  But what I can tell you is that I saw her.  I saw that little black and white cat and the ad on facebook begging for someone to adopt her.  And I read the ad and I re-read the ad and I read it for a third time.  And by the time I got to the third time of reading it, I called my husband and told him that we were adopting a cat that weekend.

Ninja was a year old and considered “not adoptable” because people only want to adopt kittens not cats.  They were going to put her to sleep if they did not find someone to adopt her quickly.  The organization who housed her was called Dumpster Cats.  They said she was outside a corporate building scared and cold at about seven weeks old when she was rescued and brought to them. 

Ninja was shy, timid and anxious.  The owner’s husband, used to watch Ninja do back flips off the couch at night when the other kittens were fast asleep.  She would sleep during the day while the baby kittens all played.  She was a warrior in life, an eight pound furry warrior.  And I knew I wanted her in my life.  

I remember when we went to pick her up.  The lady who owned Dumpster Cats said, “Ma’am, this is a long-term commitment.  She will live at least twenty years.”  And six years later, Ninja still snuggles with me.  She still welcomes me every morning when I get out of bed with a “Meow”.  And when I get home from work, she meets me at the bottom of the steps, flips around onto her back and says in her little cat voice, “pet my belly Mommy, I am so glad you are home”. 

Valerie, on the other hand, is a whole different story.  For my husband’s thirty-third birthday, I told him we could look into adopting a dog for our family.  Well the words, “look into” meant nothing to him and that weekend we were all over the state of Delaware at animal shelters petting and playing with dogs of every shape, size and breed.  After seeing her three times, taking his co-worker to meet her and talking to the shelter about next steps, Valerie came home with us that following weekend. 

Valerie was a protective animal by nature and needed to know exactly where her humans were at all times.  We potty trained her and crate trained her.  I recall my co-worker saying, “You crate trained her?  That is inhumane to the animal!”  and I gently reminded her of the shelter Valerie came from when she was only allowed outside two times per week, she lived on a cement floor and shared a cage with another dog…And my co-worker gently took back what she said. 

To this day, Valerie greets her humans with jumping up on her hind legs and putting her front paws on our thighs (Except for our daughter.  She runs in circles around her and smothers her with kisses.  It is actually quite interesting how she knows to not jump on her sister because she would tackle her if she did).  Valerie smiles from ear to ear just laying on her back getting pet on her belly in the lap of one her humans. 

And when I am having a bad day and am sick, my animals are right by my side.  They either snuggle right there next to me or are on the floor by my bed.  Valerie and Ninja both know that if Mommy or Daddy allows either of them to jump up on the bed that Mommy is sick and having a bad day.  And they love it.  Speaking for them, I can honestly say that they love to snuggle, feel my warm (or cold) body, and help me transform from having a bad day into feeling better and having a good one.  They certainly are not a prescription drug but they are a form of healing that is unexplainable, unconditionally loving and genuinely caring. 

So to all my fellow humans out there reading this blog, take care of your furry friends because I know they will take care of you too.  And to all my furry friends, keep showering your love on your humans. Thanks for reading and have a bright and sunny day!

Love Note:  With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.