Goodnight Sweet Prince
jewel December 15th, 2008
Today I am grieving the loss of my beloved Taliesin. He was 16 years, 4 months and 1 day old. Although that’s not a bad lifespan for a cat, I still feel he went much too soon. I had him and his bother, Merlin, since the day were born. His brother left us not quite 3 years ago. Taliesin was my last. And I grieve.
Edited to add: Yesterday when I wrote this I could not write a proper eulogy. I’m not sure I’ll do much better today, but I wanted to recall a few of the really good times with my Taliesin.
When we lived in the Florida Keys, many years ago, we called him The Mighty Hunter. He loved going out and exploring and doing what cats do. He would often bring in things for he and his brother Merlin to play with — gecko’s and tree frogs were favorites. We had a cat door so that they could go in and out as they pleased and he would bring them in unharmed, just a tail or a foot hanging out of his mouth and he would do his best to hide the fact that he was bringing outdoor toys inside. It was so funny. One day he brought in a 3 foot long black snake and dropped it in the livingroom, also unharmed, and he made the hunting call noise to alert everyone to come look. It had coiled up on the floor and Taliesin had never been so proud as he was right then. We did manage to get the snake out of the house, thankfully.
Living up here in the DC area, we didn’t let our cats out (except for the porch or the fenced in yard). Too much traffic. He’d still make the hunting call, though, nearly every night when we went to bed. He’d get out his favorite toy and drag it to the middle of the livingroom and yowl. Sometimes he’d go on for nearly 10 minutes, at which point I’d get out of bed to tell him what a good and mighty hunter he was and I’d pet him. He loved that ritual. It’s been a little more than a week since he’s done that, since he didn’t “hunt” when he was ill. Last night I really missed that ritual of his.
Google+
Twitter
Awww, poor kitty! My sympathies. We lost two kitties this year, and I am still not over it.
I was very sorry to read about Taliesin. Pets – especially cats for some of us – become such a part of our lives that there loss is always difficult. I still sometimes expect to find Darkstar, our adopted black stray, sitting on the front steps when I turn into the driveway, and she has been gone for years. (My wife’s allergies argue against another cat.)
My mom was always a great one for cat names, so I got curious about Taliesin. The bard?
Clear skies, Alan
Thanks to the both of you.
My cats have always been family. Merlin & Taliesin were the closest things I’ve had or will have to children – I came home from work one day more than 16 years ago and one of the neighborhood strays had given birth on my porch. I took her and her kittens in and cared for them. I kept Merlin and Taliesin.
I’m not sure I’ll ever really get over their deaths. It’s been almost 3 years for Merlin and still miss him intensely. And now Taliesin.
And yeah, Taliesin the Bard. I’ve always loved Celtic mythology.
You had a cat named Taliesin? How cool.
Yep. Thanks Gonzo.