I just buried my oldest friend

[tamidon]

When I first got Julia I had recently graduated from the CIA. I was in an apartment with 5 other people, none of us with the same schedule, none of whom I knew particularly well. My previous roommates had sublet the other rooms while i was finishing up at the Culinary. I was working odd hours and felt very lonely in a house full of people, when I realized I was a grownup...at least grownup enough to get myself a pet. Off I went to the Animal Rescue League of Boston where I wandered thru the kennels. There weren't that many kittens, loads of older cats, and one cat in the middle. She was about 4 months old, beautiful, face and body like a siamese, but black with tuxedo markings. She had the softest fur I ever felt on any animal, even a mink coat I felt once. I still have never felt a cat with fur that soft. She wasn't some agressive, needy cat begging for attention, begging to be brought home, she butted my hand and just stood near the front of the cage, letting me decide. Home she went where she spent 2 weeks hiding under various peoples beds. Eventually she came out and wandered the house. She was never a lap kitty, but sometimes she sat next to you. She loved windows. I named her Julia for Julia Child, and added Bast a few months later when my roomates developed erratic employment behavior and I put the electricity and phone in Julia's name.
We left Dighton St. for Cambridgeport, and just 2 other roommates, Eric and Lizzit. She settled in well, except for that small incident when she got into the walls when the landlord was working in the bathroom and it took us 6 hours to figure out where she was. She escaped the house for the first time and got stuck in a torrential downpour. She never was much for escaping outside after that. She never ate human food, ever. She gave feste_sylvain her seal approval, much to my shock, and that gave him more of a shot with me than he knew. She put up with his presence in the apartment. feste_sylvain asked me to move in with him, but I had to choose between Julia and cigarettes, as he is allergic to both, I picked Julia. I was not much fun to live with the first month, but than Julia started to get a little wonky too. We quickly figured it out. Altho not a gregarious cat she needed daytime company so we went to get another cat. feste_sylvain fell in love with Haiku(at the same shelter) and brought him home. Julia spent 2 months on top of the Tetris machine until Haiku figured out how to climb it, and Julia had no peace after that.
Eventually we got married and bought a house in Acton. A brief experiment in letting the cats outdoors ended when Julia got chewed on by something nasty. She also developed compulsive behavior and started to pull the fur out from around the wound. This was when she got put on an antidepressant,Ellevil, which some of my other friends were already on. She was only on it for a year, but that year was stressful , what with us getting a dog, Otis, and having a baby, Alyssa.4 Years later we had another baby and Julia dealt with that, even tho she was off the antidepressants by then. Otis died, and we moved to the Littleton house, and she settled in nicely, finding a hidey hole beneath the cellar stairs, carpeted even. She lived the rest of her life out quietly, the way she always had. The last 6 months were not too good, and the last 2 weeks were downright horrible, but all in all she had a good life.
Julia had been a part of my life longer than anyone I know aside from family. She knew me a a lonely single working woman, a newlywed, a new mom, a suburban housewife, a clubgoing music fan, a chef with weird hours, all the incarnations of the last 17 years. I will greatly miss her.

Comments

[tactical-grace.livejournal.com]

A sad goodbye for a good friend. Condolences.

[keyne.livejournal.com]

I so empathize -- I'll be there very soon. (Gwydion is the oldest friend I'm still in close contact with, and at sixteen he's coming up on my record of living with anyone else, human or animal.)

Treat yourself gently; I know it's hard. <hug>

[tcb.livejournal.com]

*hug*

I truly understand, as I've had Merlin and Morgaine since I was 17.. Merlin is still very much a part of our lives.

May she have all of the catnip that she can enjoy, and may she watch over you and yours in the years to come..

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss, babe. I know she'd been with you for longer than everyone else. *huge hugs*

K.

[missionista.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. What a nice way to remember her though.

[gayathri.livejournal.com]

my thanks to you for sharing such lovely memories, and my sympathies for your loss. I hope she's as safe and content as she was in your life.

*hugs*

[mizarchivist]

A beautiful tribute. Thank you for sharing that.

[drwex]

*hugs* and condolences. Long time passing.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. *hugs* It's hard to lose an old friend and companion.

[skreeky]

It's strange how our little furballs become a part of us, and then even stranger how incomprehensible that is to those that don't share their lives with a pet.

Julia is distinct and unique, and no other cat will ever quite fit that Julia-shaped hole. I know. I miss my old Boo, and I miss my Charlie, and I love my Charcoal, and none of them are remotely alike. Julia is a piece of the life that shaped who you are.

May your longest friend rest in peace. My condolences.

[peacefulmayhem.livejournal.com]

I'm so very sorry. Take good care of yourself.

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

What wonderful memories. *hugs*

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry she's gone.
It's corny, but I don't think the ones we love are ever truly gone as long as we remember them fondly. It's clear that you won't forget her anytime soon. :)

[donnad.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I know how it feels, having lost my Midnight 5 years ago after 18 years of companionship.

[fj.livejournal.com]

I am sorry I didn't get to meet her.

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

She was hiding in the basement when you were last at our place. That's part of the whole "not gregarious" thing.

As opposed to my cat, who loves running in between the forest of legs whenever we have a party.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

That was a beautiful eulogy.

[whuffle.livejournal.com]

I think you have written her a fine eulogy. I'm sorry she is gone. I hope the hurt will go away eventually. And I hope that your memories of her will stay.

[tikvah.livejournal.com]

That was a lovely eulogy for Julia. As long as you remember her with love, she will never be completely gone. She was a gorgeous cat, and I'm not even a cat person.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

So sweet. I'm so sorry. Rest well, little kitty.

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing her life with us here.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

:(

I'm very sorry to hear it.

[persis.livejournal.com]

Keep remembering and she will be with you forever. It sounds like you gave her a very good, happy life. I lost my Heather after almost 21 years, and still see glimpses of her (and she never lived in this house).

[ghislaine.livejournal.com]

*hug* so so sorry for your loss.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I could have known her.

jetshade is looking for homes for some rescued kittens, if you are considering that.

[gosling.livejournal.com]

Much sympathy for your loss.

[jencallisto]

that was beautiful.

i'm so sorry to hear of your loss. i've been missing my (late, beloved) childhood cat a lot recently. thank you for sharing your memories.

[doctordidj.livejournal.com]

Hugs hugs hugs. Beautiful eulogy. Peace to you.

[sunspiral.livejournal.com]

::hugs:: That was a good farewell to her.

[slfisher.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry.

I only have one Julia story, when I housesat for you guys when you were on your honeymoon, and they every day would play this routine of "We're STARVING! We haven't been fed in DAYS! We know you fed cats that looked like us this morning, but they were IMPOSTERS!"

[fangirl715.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry... *hugs*

[electriccat.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry, T... I really am.

I remember when I lost Devil 2 years ago .... :::sigh:::

It's strange how we become so more accutely aware of time and how BIG it is when we lose a furry companion. I had Devil with me for more than 10 years and when he was gone it was as if that part of my life was really 'gone' too.. and just..

::hug:: I guess it was Julia's time.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

what a fine cat she was.