Following in her footsteps...

It's a bit of a strange, often melancholic, and at times bittersweet time of transition for me and my furbabies. Today is two weeks to the day since I lost my sweet old girl, and I am still forcing myself to learn to live with a routine that does not include cuddling, feeding, medicating, and overall looking after my precious Rosie. At the same time, I have moved into my new house, along with my other furbabies – Astrid, Evan, and Thimble. My sister (Astrid's co-parent, also known as her "Other Mommy") also lives with me at my new house, which means we are also graced with Toby's presence. I'll also note that I moved to a home close to my parents', and so I still get to bestow cuddles upon Trapper and Talon practically on a daily basis.

In this time of transition, I still miss my Rosie each and every day. However, I often feel better after stopping to have even just a quick little chat with her up in her new headquarters. I send her my love, and then I feel better about going about my day. Although I of course wish there were a way that I could have her by my side again, that is not meant to be right now. She is now enjoying her youth and health again, and I know she is watching over me.

This will always be one of my favorite pictures of my precious Rosie. It perfectly portrays her sweet, loving face, as well as her beautiful markings.

Thank you again to Ann from Zoolatry for this beautiful remembrance badge for my Rosie. It is so greatly appreciated and will be treasured always.

Rosie will never be replaced. There is no cat in the world who could ever even begin to take her place, neither in my home nor in my heart. And I know that can be said of all beloved furbabies. Yet, although neither Rosie nor any furbaby can be replaced, I'm learning that our angel furbabies can certainly leave behind others who seem capable of following in their footsteps. For me, this little footstep-follower is my little girl Thimble.

(Thimble likes to claim Mommy's new bed as her own.)

I'll backtrack and begin by saying that Rosie and Thimble never got along. Rosie did not like the company of other cats, and she would quite literally slap some sense into them if they even considered coming into her space. After but one or two brief run-ins with the old queen of the house, Thimble was absolutely petrified of Rosie. Needless to say, the two little ladies never spent time together. For that reason, although I might have hoped it, I never expected Thimble to pick up any of Rosie’s habits or follow her lead once my sweet Rosie was gone.

Boy, was I wrong. Somehow, as if Rosie gave Thimble private lessons when this mommy's back was turned, Thimble has started to emulate Rosie in many ways. One main way she does this is in my bed at night. Before moving to the new house, Thimble had never slept in my bed with me at night, because that was Rosie’s rightful place. I knew I was going to greatly miss all of my nighttime cuddles with Rosie, and I only hoped that one of my other furbabies would continue her tradition. That being said, since her very first night of having access to my bed, Thimble has not only insisted on spending the night snuggling with me, but she has taken up almost all of the usual places where Rosie used to sleep. Even in a different bed, one of a larger size for that matter, Thimble sticks close to me and in nearly the exact same spots as Rosie did. This includes Thimble often starting out the night nestled between my feet, with me in my assumed spread eagle position that Rosie also always insisted of me. And later in the night, just like Rosie used to do, Thimble will work her way up to my side – she always selects my right side, just like Rosie always did – and spends the remainder of the night cuddling me there. I feel like this is Rosie looking down on us, telling Thimble how things are meant to be.

There are other personality traits I see in Thimble that further remind me of Rosie. Whether subconsciously or not, I think I've noticed these Rosie-esque traits since first meeting Thimble, and perhaps that is why I was so taken with her from the get-go. First of all, as far as I can recall, Rosie was always a talker, although most especially when she got older – she would chortle when jumping off of something, let out an emphatic yowl to announce when she'd dirtied her litter box, and request a refill of food with a hollering meow. Thimble has almost always kept her vocalizations limited to chortles when jumping (during which she sounds almost just like Rosie) or occasionally while playing. That is, until Rosie passed and we moved into the new house. At my new home, especially at night, Thimble is quite the talker. What's more, her voice is much like a subdued version of Rosie's. Especially in her older years, Rosie had a relatively rough, gravelly voice, and it was very loud. While Thimble is rarely loud, she is similarly rough and gravelly. (For what it's worth, I've gotten into the habit of calling Thimble my Robo-Kitty, because she quite honestly sounds like a piece of machinery when she meows.)

Even Thimble's play resembles Rosie's. It always did slightly, but she reminds me of Rosie even more now than before. As a youngster Rosie was always a batter and swatter, slapping toys around and knocking things off of tables. Thimble does the exact same thing. I call her my little hockey player, as she'll bat around just about anything, although she does have her favorites – she certainly prefers playing with a wadded up paper or other similar piece of trash rather than a cat toy.

"It's not one of my favorite pieces of trash, but I guess Mommy's camera wrist strap will do just fine to swat at."

"Got it!"

Thank you, Thimble, for helping Mommy through this.

Rosie is missed immensely, and she can never be replaced. But it certainly helps to know that she is looking down on me, and that she seems to have sent some tips Thimble's way on how to be this mommy's proper little ladycat.

Whether up in heaven or here on earth, they will always be my beloved feline baby girls.