Pixie kitty has crossed the rainbow bridge. She was Dad’s original basement monster. I mean it. She stayed in the basement for a LOOOONG time when he got her.

Pixie was from a shelter and they didn’t know how old she was, but guessed around 9. She was not friendly at all and scared of everything. Dad brought her home anyway. He got a big dog crate, a dane sized one, and set up a little box, cat bed, cat tower, food and water in it. It was good for her because she didn’t have to come out too far to get what she needed. Every night after work Dad would go lay exercise mats on the hard concrete floor next to her crate and lay there and read. Hour after hour, night after night, he sat there. He put a leash on her and tied it to the crate so that he could open the door if she wanted to come out, but she couldn’t go hide someplace dangerous.

After a long time she finally started coming out little by little to visit with him. After that she was his special lady. He had another lady in his life, in fact she was the one who wanted a cat, but that lady was not very nice and Pixie knew it. When Dad finally got rid of her it was Pixie that sat for hour after hour, night after night, waiting for him to be ready to go back out in the world. She pulled him out of a really really dark time.

She did something even better a few years later. She brought Mom and Dad together. If you didn’t know this already, Mom and Dad met online. They were both sick and tired of dating and really giving up on that online thing, but one day Mom saw Dad’s photo. She thought he was cute and looked at his profile. She had no intention of contacting him, but then she saw a photo of a cat and the caption said her name was Pixie. Well, that put Mom in a down-stay. She had used the name Pixiedust for her email address and all kinds of stuff for years. She decided to send him a message just to laugh at that coincidence. A few weeks later they had a date. A few months later they were inseparable. A few years later they were married.

And, you know what? That means that if it was not for Pixie then I wouldn’t have met Dad because it was Mom that found Service Dog Project! Then it was Mom who filled out the application for me!!!

Dad says that when Mom started coming around and then started bringing the human puppies over he was not sure how Pixie would like it. She never liked anyone but him. And THEN she brought her cats into the house, too! Amazingly, Pixie didn’t mind the humans at all. In fact, she kind of liked them. And she didn’t love the other cats, but once they accepted that she was the boss she decided they could stay too.

Pixie was always a bit of a grouch. She liked to be pet, but only on her terms. She did not snuggle. She did not let anyone carry her. And you could NOT touch her feet. Mom and Dad think that the first people who had her took her to be declawed by someone who didn’t know what they were doing because her front feet didn’t look right. She is SO lucky she found Dad to take care of instead of those people!

When I came around she made it clear that she was NOT going to be my friend. In fact, sometimes when I was just minding my own business taking a nap she would walk across the room just to hiss in my face and then stomp away.

After we moved to Oklahoma Pixie decided that Dad didn’t need her so much anymore. She could tell the human puppies were having a hard time after losing their dad and I was already taking care of the oldest one so she took the little on under her wing. She pretty much forgot about the other humans completely, unless she needed her kibble filled up. She spent all her time with the little one.  When she would stay that night at a friend’s house Pixie would march around the house in a terrible mood. No Kidding!!! She would stop in front of Mom or Dad, look up, and then yell at them!!! Then she would march away. Finally, Mom told the little pup to have a talk with Pixie every time she would be away for the night. That worked, but only for one night. If she was away two nights then forget it! Pixie would get so mad!

She let that kid do anything to her! One time Mom and Dad thought she had some box tape stuck to her side, but it was a band aid! Can you believe it? She had a little cut and actually let that pup put a band aid on it! I swear to you she would have ripped anyone else’s hand of if they tried it! I’m not joking!

A couple days ago she just stopped acting like herself. Then yesterday she started meowing really loud for no reason and would lay down in the middle of the floor like she was too tired to keep going. Today she let Mom pick her up to carry her over to the water dish and that is when we knew something was wrong. She never let anyone just pick her up without complaining. We didn’t want to worry the little pup so we didn’t tell her we were worried. Mom and bigger pup took Pixie to the vet and Dad was on standby in case there was bad news and we had to go say goodbye.

The little pup really wanted to go with Mom so she could visit TicTac, the cat that lives at the office, so Dad let her. She had to stay in the waiting room, though. I was in the car with Dad because I was worried and Pixie gets super mad at me when I try to check on her.

Just after they got inside Pixie started yowling so loud I could hear her out in the car and I got really worried. Mom says that she had a seizure. The vet said she was just really super old and that her kidneys weren’t working anymore and she had gone a long time keeping it to herself so we wouldn’t worry. That was really nice of her; I have never known her to be that nice. We think she didn’t want the little pup to be sad so she kept being strong for her.

After that the big pup came out to the car with me so Dad could go in. I didn’t like that one bit. I guess I understand, but for real, not ok. Then Mom came out to tell us that Dad and little pup were going to be with her while the vet helped her cross the Rainbow Bridge.

When they came out I was even more worried. The little pup had such big tears for such a little face. And even Dad was crying. Then we got home and Mom was crying too! I am not feeling ok about all of this at all. I want to make it better, but I don’t know how. I heard the little pup tell Mom that she needed Pixie because she always made it better when she cries. I really wish she had told me how she did that so I could do it for her now.

Those human pups have been through so much these last 2 years. I hope things can get easier now. At least for a little while. I will make sure to give them as many smooshes as I can and maybe that will help.