The first time I ever laid eyes on Thomasina I was talking on the phone to my girlfriend. It was the morning of December 3rd, 2007, and although it was a cold crisp day, the sun was shining brightly and the wind was still. I had just put food out for the feral cats that I'd been caring for almost a year. I looked out my window and saw Ross, a young sole survivor kitten of Lil-Lady. "Aww, how cute! Ross is playing with his mother" I told my girlfriend as I was describing a blow by blow description of the event. "Wait a moment! That cat is way too small to be Lil-Lady" I said, completely taken by surprise that a new kitten was on the premises. My girlfriend and I tried to figure out where the new kitten could have possibly come from. "Someone must have dropped it off" we speculated. Then another similar looking kitten suddenly appeared. Then another, then another still.
After many hours of observation, it became apparent that Popeyegirl was the mother. However, and wherever she had concealed the existance of her four kittens for an estimated 4-5 weeks is a topic of speculation still. I went out and bought another large covered literbox and lined it with blankets, and was grateful when Popeyegirl immediately used it to set up housekeeping.
In the weeks that followed, I watched the kitties grow and play. Several times Popeyegirl came to get me to rescue them from a stepladder that I had behind the house. When the weather turned from cold to bitter cold, two of the kittens ran into my home when I opened the door. Ross, Lil Lady's kitty, and Thomasina. (Then her name was "Tom," but I didn't know her very well yet.) Thomasina's sister "Misty" had a bad cold and not only sneezed a lot, but appeared to be seriously congested. Her eyes were watering, she was only half her siblings' size, and I felt her continued exposure to the severe cold might claim her life. So I caught her, and brought her in kicking and screaming. Ironically, she was the only survivor of the three that came in that day and the only one who tested negative for all serious feline diseases. Within a few days, all three took to domestic indoor life very well. Their mentors, Bandit and Bigfoot, taught them the finer arts of litterbox use and where the food was. Before long, all were sleeping with me at night and engaging me in play.
Thomasina grew the fastest and was tall and slender. She dwarfed Misty dramatically, and soon passed Ross in size even though Ross was at least a month her senior. Thomasina soon like to spend her time on my lap while I was on the computer, facinated by the movment of the cursor across the screen. She especially enjoyed it when I played "Age Of Empires" and loved to watch the little soldiers walk across the screen in amazement. Soon she learned that the keyboard made "dings" when she stomped it, and figured out that moving the mouse also moved the cursor. One time she booted up a never played video game while I was in the bathroom. One time I saw her with her rear feet on my chair, her left paw on the desk, her right paw operating the mouse, while she watched the cursor move across the screen. I attempted a pic, but my batteries were dead. By the time new I frantically replaced them, she was doing something else. I never got another opportunity.
Thomasina had a warped sense of humor. One time she was on the second to the top step of the step ladder that led to my roof. Brownie, an adult male, was on the roof and was attempting to descend. Whenever he started down, Thomasina swatted him in the face forcing him to retreat. When he tried to swat back, she ducked under the step above out of reach. She kept him at bay on the roof until he finally gave up. When I bursted out in laughter, he got mad and turned his back to me in disgust.
Then on the morning of April 6th I woke up and discovered Ross in a gravely ill condition. I rushed him to Great Lakes Pet Emergency (since it was a Sunday) and their immediate assessment was he was holding on to life by a very slender thread. They put him in oxygen and then tested him for FELV. When it came back positive they more or less said there was no hope, and my only real option was to spare him the agony of suffocatiion and dehydration. I was devastated. Ross and I had a very special relationship and he was by far the most unselfishly loving cat I have ever known. I made appointments the next day to have Misty and Thomasina tested. Misty was the lucky one, Thomasina, not so. I then got Misty all her innoculations, spayed, and got a clean bill of health. Thomasina was scheduled for re-testing in July to see if she by chance beat the disease.
She slowly but steadilly declined from there. Although she did complete her growth through that time, she was bony. In her final weeks, her belly started growing. Since I had seen her having sex with several adult males, I took her in for that as well as her follow up FELV test. No luck. Her swelling was not pregnancy, but acites. I eventually got her a FELV shot knowing it was an exercise in futility. I vowed to make her life as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Ever since their diagnosis, I made her eat from her own dish, and encouraged her to use a different litterbox.
She spent some of her time hunting, and even caught two mice last week. Even last night, while visibly weak, was still stalking prey. She slept between my legs last night and purred whenever I stroked her, but I knew it was very likely our last night together. This morning, she was even weaker, but still in good spirits. She ate a modest meal of Tuna catfood, and I also hand fed her some chicken. She went out briefly, but soon returned to her bed. By the way she kept laying her head down, I knew her hours, perhaps minutes were numbered. I had to leave for a while though to take care of some important business, including replentishing my evaporated supply of cat food.
When I returned I thought she was dead. Her bladder had let go and she was laying in her own filth. I could see no breathing or anything. When I put my hand on her side she sparked to life, albiet feabilly. Her favorite quality time was always when she was on my lap, and her favorite place was outdoors. I gently took her in my arms and went out to sit on the patio with her in my lap. I held her head for her as she no longer had the strength to do so. I petted her gently and talked of all the good times we had together. I sang her the song "Thomasina" that I often did throughout her life. I then thanked her for waiting for me before passing. My telephone rang and for a moment I was undecided as to whether to answer it. I picked her up, put her bed on the kitchen table, placed her in it, then answered the call. It was my girlfriend. I put my arm around Thomasina, she took one deep breath, then died in my arm. I pressed my ear to her and there was nothing. I wept like a child, shared my feelings with my girlfriend, then carried Thomasina, bed and all, outside and burried her. I marked it temporarilly with a brick, but will make a marker in keeping with my other departed little loved ones.
I will never forget her and I value the joy she gave me. She had a good life but sadly, short. Discovered 12-03-07, died 07-21-08.