Good-bye, Nickel

Our beloved cat, Nickel, has been missing since late August. After searching any place she could have gotten trapped in or around our house, putting fliers on telephone poles and in mailboxes, talking to neighbors and searching animal shelters, we have accepted with heavy hearts that she is gone. We will probably never know what happened to her, which makes it hard to have closure. We have seen a lot of wildlife in our neighborhood, including coyotes and hawks, so we think the most likely scenario is that she became someone's dinner. Richard tries to cheer us up by singing "The Circle of Life." It actually makes me smile, but then I feel guilty.

We all really miss Nickel. She was such an awesome cat. She had all the great cat qualities of being chill and snuggly, but also some more dog-like traits, such as hopping into the lap of a stranger the minute they sat down. She minded her own business, yet was always around. She helped whittle down the mole and chipmunk population in our yard. She was amazingly tolerant of Jane's "affection." Nickel would have turned ten years old this month.

Since I am a cat-lover and Nickel was sort of our first "child," we have more than a few pictures of her, but I'll try to say good-bye with just a few highlights...

Richard and I adopted Nickel when she was about three months old. We found her at our first (and only) stop. It was January in St. Louis, so I tucked her in my down jacket for the short walk from car to house. I was sooo excited. I was on winter break from school when we got her, and I actually cried when I had to go back to class because I didn't want to leave her alone during the day. Yes, I just admitted that.

And even Richard, who had to be persuaded to even consider owning a cat, would admit that she won him over right away. 

A few more of my favorite kitten pics...

A little huntress from the start. She loved to be outside. 

Peek-a-boo

And then she grew up and got wonderfully chubby. All we fed her was "weight control" dry food, but somehow she gained and retained the chub. 

I loved how her belly squished over her back feet.

Guarding her stoop.

Testing out our fancy camera before Jane was born.

There's something so peaceful and calming about a curled up cat.

And then there were two...

A dog?!

and three...

What is that?!

and four...

Another one?

Nickel got along really well with Maggie and seemed fine with the addition of Ouisey, but it was with Jane that she really bonded. If I ever wanted to find one, all I had to do was look for the other.

One benefit of not really knowing what happened to Nickel is that Jane hasn't had to say good-bye. We still talk about her as if she is our cat, and we just don't know where she is at the moment. Jane thinks maybe she went to Memphis. I love that Jane thinks it is totally feasible that Nickel just took a trip somewhere. I kind of think we'll always talk about her as if she is still a part of our family. I mean... why not?

Thanks for being such a wonderful pet, Nickel. We miss you!


P.S.  It seems only fair to mention that Maggie no longer resides with us either, but hers is a happy ending. Being the energetic attention lover that she is, we were feeling a little sub-par in terms of giving her the life she deserved. We are so thrilled that Richard's cousins have "adopted" her. They live on a 30 acre farm in Dickson, and Maggie couldn't be happier chasing four-wheelers, playing with their middle school aged boys and two other dogs, and sleeping at the foot of their bed.