I had a dream last night, and you were there. You were always there for me when I was going through a rough time; I wonder if that's why you visited me yesterday. In my dream, we were together once more. When I awoke I was so sad, it seemed so real, I was sure you would be right there on my pillow, but you weren't. They say it gets better with time, but it doesn't. Each and every year your flowers bloom under my window. I'm a Mother now, and I'm sad my children will never know you, will never feel your love. I have many animals now, and I love them all, but they're not you. I love you Miss Kitty and after all these years, I miss you as much as ever. Thank you God, for letting her visit in my dreams, especially in my time of need.

Thanksgiving day, 1980, is a day I'll never forget. After spending the day with my family, my Father took me for a car ride; he said he had a "Surprise" for me. I was so excited!! Yet, I had no clue what it was. I later found that my Mother had seen an add in the paper, someone was giving away a six month old calico kitten. Little did I know, my Father was giving me a Christmas present early, the cat I had been begging for.
She was so little, but had the most beautiful calico markings we had ever seen. I held her in my arms all the way home, and from that day on, she held my heart in her paws. Miss Kitty was my companion, for 18 years, until she crossed over Rainbow Bridge, in September of 1999.
Everywhere I went, she went too, except for school. Summer and winter vacations, holidays in different states, at various relatives' houses, you name it and she was there. I have three older siblings, often we went to one of their homes for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas vacation, Spring Break, summer holidays, and weekends, each and everyone of them welcomed her into their homes, and for that I will always be grateful.
Our whole family celebrated Miss Kitty's birthday on Thanksgiving, she always received the first piece of turkey, no matter where we were. All in our family loved her, she was a special cat, my special companion, she was MISS KITTY.
The years passed quickly, too quickly for me, and she was always there, always by my side. She slept with me every night, and we ate meals together every day. She was my best friend. She was my confidant, the one who never repeated my secrets, and she knew many over the years! Miss Kitty was my childhood hero, she was my cat.
Miss Kitty shared in many of my childhood discoveries, most of the "Firsts" I had in my life, happened after that Thanksgiving Day in 1980. My first boy friend, first day of Junior high, first school dance, first day of High School, first prom, graduation from high school and college, first apartment, first house I owned, my companion shared it all with me. My faithful friend, my Miss Kitty, there will never be another one like her.
She loved to play fetch, loved to sleep with me in the sun, lay on any schoolbook when I was studying and not giving her enough attention, loved spaghetti and Doritos, but most of all she loved me, unconditionally. She won the heart of anyone she encountered, even people who were not cat lovers, and my heart she still owns to this very day.
She was funny and mischievous; yet there wasn't a mean bone in her little body. She loved to dash through the piles of leaves, freshly raked on a cool autumn day. She climbed tress, and was quite the mouser. When Father forgot to pick up his socks, she would gently remind him, by hiding them in her litter box!
Then, in 1997, she began to loose weight. In October of that year, she was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer, something I knew nothing about. However, just like everything else, she and I learned to deal with it. When she was given three months to live, she proved them wrong, she lived until September of 1999, she was quite a fighter.
Then in August of 1999 she began to have memory problems, but still exhibited no signs of pain. In September of that year, she became incontinent, and was no longer able to sleep at night. She began to loose drastic weight, and developed major hair loss. It was hard, but I knew it was time to let her go, she was always such a clean cat, and fastidious about her litter box, she wasn't truly happy in the state she was in.
I prayed for God to take her in her sleep. I didn't want to have to put her to sleep; I never imagined she would go over Rainbow Bridge quite that way. Yet, sometimes, God has other plans, we don't know why things are they way they are, we just know we have to deal with them.
So, I called my veterinarian. I explained to him that I didn't want my cat dying on a cold metal table, I didn't want a stranger holding my cat in her final moments of life, and bless his heart, he was totally understanding, and compliant with my wishes.
That day in September, my Father drove me to the vet's office. It was very hard for both of us, but it was the best thing to do for Miss Kitty. Along the way, my Father was very comforting, sympathetic, and sad. He made me realize it is much harder to be a true friend, to do what is right for our special little blessings from God. It would have been easier to have been selfish, to have kept her alive for as long as possible, than to have helped her on her journey to Rainbow Bridge.
That was one of the saddest days of my life. Not only did I loose my childhood friend, I lost the only piece of my childhood I had left. I lost Miss Kitty.
She went to Rainbow Bridge in my arms, looking into my eyes. I felt her gratitude as she let go and went to a better place. I also felt, and still feel, the ache in my heart, for now only memories remain of her.
I buried her in my back yard, by my bedroom window, she loved it outside, and she also loved to sleep with me. Flowers were never planted over her grave, yet each spring yellow tulips bloom there, in the shape of a rainbow.
I also placed a stone over her grave, engraved with the following poem:
If tears could build a bridge,
And memories a lane,
I'd walk right up to heaven,
And bring you home again.

Good bye my little friend, may you rest in peace. I love you.