My user name…was the name of my cat, who I loved like a child. I’ve had pets for decades, but this little feline was unique, she actually made a cat lover out of my husband, who had no affection for them previously. She was an indoor/outdoor cat, loved hunting, very affectionate, and trained us well. Where I live, we do have a coyote problem, so I tried to keep her indoors, but her natural instincts were already developed and she constantly protested. So, as time progressed, she would go out in the morning, and back indoors in the evenings, for the most part of the seven years we had together.
Here comes the guilt admission – one weekend, I woke up after finishing a bottle of wine earlier in the day, and decided another bottle was in order. It was dusk, so I rushed to the store and returned quickly. As I pulled up, I noticed a coyote near the house (a first for me)! I went out and called for my cat, and then went out on foot looking for her. In the park, adjacent to my house, I found a clump of her hair. It still brings me to tears, just typing this. Yes, I lost my cat that day and still blame myself. That void is still raw, 4 years later.
I have two indoor cats now, but I don’t think there will ever be one as special to me as Odelle was.