I can hear the sound of the little bells that adorned her collar when she first came home with us. She hid in our laundry basket. She started as what appeared to be a normal-sized kitten, but within a week, her feet grew. She loved when we would make the bed, and she’d be under the sheets. She loved to sneak up on you and loved chirping at the birds in our big window in our first home. You could see the river in the distance.
She was our Maine Coon and would soon be a fixture in our lives for over 14 years.
When my husband went to law school and would study, she remained by his side, a constant study partner and companion. When we brought our oldest home, she stood on her hind legs and peered into the portable cradle at the newborn. She loved chewing on ribbon and our fake Christmas tree. She loved the challenge of a laser light.
She had a routine. Every morning, she’d be up by 6, singing the song of her people, indicating that it was time to eat. Her meow sounded more like a “hello?!”
She tolerated both boys during their toddler years and mustered up as much patience as she could. Near the end, she hissed more but never struck out. She’d grown arthritic. I knew that we were living on borrowed time.
Her favorite spot by her favorite person, my husband, is where she took her last breath. She did not ring in the new year with us; she left with a few hours to go before the new year began.
This morning was eerily silent. The routine was now broken and replaced with a new normal in which we will have to adjust.
Animals are a blessing from God, and boy, were we blessed to have her- Polly, the Maine Coon Princess Warrior. Arrived as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law to both my husband (and me) and left this earth on New Year’s Eve 2025.
We will miss you! Enjoy naps on clouds and a renewed sense of energy. Keep St. Peter on time when it’s time eat. Look after us and wait for us.
We love you.
The Peach 