Our Merlin came to me back in 1991. I was actually searching for a kitten for a friend, who wanted one for his daughter. Little Merlin, who was about nine weeks old at the time, waltzed right in to my home and my heart. He snuggled up to the dog, and to my other cat, Linus, and his charm won over all who met him.
By the time I finally got hold of the friend who wanted him, however, the friend informed me that his ex had bought his daughter a cat, and he was no longer interested.
Being stuck with Merlin, however, turned out to be “not so bad” after all. Everyone loved him, especially me, and I never gave a second thought to the fact that he was staying.
The kitten at that point was unnamed. I was working at Guiding Eyes at the time, and had just loaded a group of new dogs into the van to take them to the vet for their spay and neuter appointments. I wandered around the front of the van and was heading for the driver’s side door when a Merlin, a small falcon, killed a sparrow right on the sidewalk in front of me.
Thus, Merlin was named.
Mer became alternately known as “Mischief”, or “Trouble”, for he had a talent for getting into some interesting predicaments. He loved knocking objects off high places, for instance, and cared not whether they were breakable. He adored my Dad, and we often said that if Merlin had a choice, he’d stay at PopPop’s house all the time, just so he could lay on the back of the recliner and wash his bald spot for him.
Merlin was with me through several jobs, the beginning of my marriage, numerous moves, and the birth of both my children. He said goodbye to his dear buddy Linus with us when cancer made poor Linus’s life unbearable. He greeted dear little Chouli, our sweet Siamese kitty who only stayed with our family for a couple of years before a traffic accident took her from us. He raised Sachet, and helped her raise her kittens (though not always with the patience he used with Sachet). He greeted Vogue and Fen as they entered our lives. He saw his heart’s friend Yoda pass into the starlight.
And then, in 1994, a sudden failure of both of his kidneys took Merlin from us in the flash of an eye. Our “only non-Siamese” kitty was gone, dragging with him a piece of my heart.
Merlin stays with me in memory, and we do believe he was back for a brief stay (or I believe it, anyway) after his Nanny (my mom) died in 2006. He’s returned to spirit once again, however, and I often wonder if he will come back to me.
I can’t see a tuxedo kitty without being flooded with loving memories of Merlin.
Thank you for sharing your story Gayze. It is so hard when they go and we are so not ready.
My Karma has been gone a year now. Of all my kitties over the years he was my favorite; so cheeky, playful and just plain cuddly when he wanted to be.
Your Merlin certainly looks wizardly~ and how magical how he got his name (though likely the sparrow feels differently about that ~:-)
Char, Karma is a wonderful name for a kitty. I’m sure he still snuggles at your side and watches over your dreams at night.
Thanks so much. My old Merlin was, and always shall be, a treasure.
What a cutie Merlin was. Animals sure know how to weedle their way into our hearts. It’s so hard to say good bye to them when they leave us.
.-= Sami – Life, Laughs & Lemmings´s last blog ..The Daisy List: #20. Look Into a Volcano =-.
Thanks, Sami! He was a very special fellow. I’ve often heard it said that the reason most of our pet species leave us after so short a time, is that we’d never survive the grief if they stayed longer.