Stories of the Moose
The Legacy of the Moose
Moose returns home, her namesake's passing, and a new kitty in my life.
Three days after Moose's passing, my vet send me a sympathy card. A few days later another card arrived, this one from Morris Animal Foundation. My vet had made a donation to honor Moose's memory. I thought that was just tremendous of her.
Two weeks after Moose had passed on, I returned to the vet's office to pick up Moose's ashes. One of the techs went into one of the back offices and returned with a small brown cardboard box. It was heavier than I thought it would be. The office staff and I spoke briefly about the great life Moose had lived and how everything would be OK.
I brought Moose home and carefully opened the box. Amongst the newspaper packing was a small bouquet of dried flowers, a black nameplate that read "Moose," and a simple wooden box. I had asked the vet on Moose's second-to-last visit that I wanted Moose cremated and her ashes returned to me in the simplest urn possible. The box was perfect. Very simple and understated. I had been looking at urns in the weeks prior, but most were very ornate and just downright garish. Like Hell if Moose would rest in a ceramic pot covered in angels. No, it needed to be wood and simple, it just felt right.
Moose now sits atop one of my speakers that flanks the TV in the living room. I know, not a terribly distinguished place of honor, but this way I pass by her every morning when I leave for work and every evening when I return. A small shrine of sorts has formed, with Moose's ashes, the sympathy cards, and Moose's collar and tags. This was also the room where we spent a lot of time watching TV or just relaxing. I even say good night to her every evening as I go off to bed: "Good night, kitten-Moose."
Moose apparently had made quite the impact on people's lives, some of whom I had never met. A friend of Aisly's was driving one evening in Connecticut one evening and came across a Siamese-type cat on the side of the road. He had heard about the Moose passing recently and the new kitten was named Moose in her honor. Jen, my first girlfriend, had adopted a stray kitten just recently and gave her middle name to Moose. This was all within days of Moose's passing.
Pouncer's Passing
Sadly, Pouncer, the cat that had given Moose her name, also passed away almost two months to the day later. It was not a good year for cats in my life.
A New Cat in My Life
But, on a pleasant note, I have adopted a new kitty that bears a eerie resemblance to Eeek, Moose's companion from my college days at UWF (circa 1993). Only after I brought the little guy home did I notice just how the two could have identical twins. Same squeaking meow, same silky grey fur, same eyes, same spot of white on the chest. Perhaps things have finally come full-circle.