Remembering Ava

Some people don't have the joy and privilege of having a truly good pet in their lifetime. Especially when it comes to cats. So far I've been blessed to have two. The first was a cat named Sunny. We got him the summer I turned 6, and he was with us until I was almost 21. He was a companion, protector, and friend to us those 15 years. I think he may have thought he was a guard dog. I will never forget him and have never met a cat quite like him since.

On Monday, April 25, 2022, I woke up and went to work just like any other day. By the end of the day, I had a new cat. Her name was Ava. She was different than Sunny in that she was a bit needier, louder, and more cautious. But she was a truly good cat and those don't come around often.

On that ordinary Monday, Jack and his dad, Jimmy, got a call from a tenant in one of Jimmy's buildings. He'd been feeding a sweet stray kitten. As she got more comfortable in her new "home", she began to pose some problems as she started knocking tools off countertops and climbing up machinery. I soon got a video of Jimmy flipping the cat upside down trying to convince me she was the chilliest cat ever, and I should take her home. I moved back home during 2020 lockdown, and I knew I couldn't take this little kitty to my parents house. Their 15 lb cat Phoebe would have probably killed her. I knew in my heart she was supposed to be mine though. I asked Jack if he could take care of her for me temporarily. He said that if I could convince his dad to let me keep her at the Wilfong house, then we could keep her. He fully expected Jimmy to say no. But surprisingly he said yes.

I went straight from work to pick up my new cat. Jack held her in the passenger seat of my Mustang while I drove her to the vet for a check up. We learned she was 7 to 11 months old. This summer she would have turned 4. We didn't know then that she'd gotten pregnant the week before. Soon she was prancing around the Wilfong's backyard bringing us lizards and chipmunks. She immediately loved us, and we immediately loved her.

I don't remember where the name Ava came from, but I knew that for whatever reason, that was her name. I would get up extra early and go feed her and snuggle with her before work a few times a week. I couldn't believe she stuck around so easy. She and Jack quickly became fast friends. She would follow him around like a puppy dog. It didn't take long for us to realize she was pregnant. It was so cool to see the kittens moving around in her belly. She gave birth to 3 kittens in the middle of June. Sadly, they didn't make it, but she had another litter a year later and was a great mom.

Ava walked along side of us in so many different seasons of life in her short 3 years with us. She arrived during a time where we needed her most. She lifted our spirits and brought so much softness, sweetness, and joy.  She was there when we got engaged. She was there during our wedding planning season. She was there while we built our house. She was there when we moved in. She was there as we settled here in our first home.

Once we moved in to our home at the very end of 2023, she found her routine bouncing between our house and Jimmy's house. She was waiting for us at the door when we woke up each day at 5:00 ready to come in for breakfast and snugs. She would come home every evening for supper and more snugs. Slowly she spent more time inside our house until it felt like she spent most of her day asleep on our couch. She went with me on morning nature walks, meowing the whole way. She was an excellent hunter, so I guess she really only meowed around us to chat. She would sit with me as I watched the sunrise. She comforted me when I was sad. She was hilarious and would do the goofiest things that made me laugh. She always made sure both jack and I knew we were loved by toggling between the two of us in the evenings. Her favorite place to be was in our laps. Actually it was on both of our laps at the same time.

It's hard to not know what happens when a pet disappears. There is no closure, no answer, no goodbye, and no peace of mind. The worst part of all is the nagging glimmer of hope you have for years to come that maybe they'll find their way back home. We lost Sunny that way in the spring of 2018. He was old and a bit senile, so it made sense to us that he probably went off to die with dignity. We've now lost Ava the same way. But this time is different because I thought we had many more years with her. We already miss her immensely. I think part of me will be listening and looking out the window for her for quite some time. However, it's important to move on to the acceptance stage of grief to fully process the reality of what's probably happened.

Writing has always given me a bit of closure on different chapters in my life. I'm hoping this little memorial does the same. I find comfort in knowing that Ava was so well loved and had a very happy life with us. She was spoiled. She was able to chase critters and roam free in the safety of our land while still being able to come home and snuggle with us whenever she wanted. I'll always have a special place in my heart for her and will never forget her.

A week ago, we ended up with a surprise addition to our family. A sweet tiny stray kitten nuzzled her way into our hearts. While there will never be a cat that comes close to replacing Ava, I think maybe she asked God to send us this one to snuggle with us while she's gone.