Our Brazilian Cat
My family had been living in Tatui, Brasil since June of 2008, until last Wednesday the 29th of July. After just a few days of packing and cleaning, we all moved back home to Michigan.
Well, not all of us. Our cat, Simba, really hates to travel. He managed to escape at the last minute and run and hide in the roof of my neighbor’s churrasco (barbeque). I climbed the wall and looked inside the hole he dissappeared into. The neighbor lady and I spent half an hour begging and pleading him to come out. I even sat patiently and quietly by the hole for ten minutes. Finally, an hour late, we had to leave for the drive to Sao Paolo. With assurances from my neighbor that she would keep an eye out for him and feed him, we reluctantly got in the shuttle bus to go to the airport.
We are heart-broken. Simba had been a part of our family for 4 years and he was the perfect cat. He didn’t bite or scratch. He didn’t ruin the furniture with his claws and he never peed on anything. He was a wonderful cuddler and loved to snuggle up to our bellies and just spend time with us. He even put up with “upside down cat” when my husband would turn him upside down and rub his belly! He loved us and we loved him.
The 2 hours it took us to get the the airport went by in a blur of tears and tissues. My son asked why we had to lose Simba. I couldn’t answer him right away. I just said something about making sacrifices and then kept crying with him.
The rest of the travel went very smoothly. Our dog, Tootsie did her time in the crate, travelling as cargo in the belly of the airplanes. We picked her up in Cleveland and she was sitting up in her crate, waiting expectantly for us to come get her. (This was her second time travelling like this, so she knew we would.) We then packed her, her crate, and our 5 monster suitcases into the rental SUV and then drove 4 hours home to Ortonville, Michigan. After 30 hours of travel, we finally arrived home safe and sound and completely worn out.
The next morning I awoke fairly early and took out my journal. I needed to work out in my head, just what it was I was suppose to learn from losing the cat. I believe God does things for a reason, so I went looking for that reason by writing in my journal. After 3 pages, it came to me that the loss of our beloved cat was God’s way of encouraging me to focus on what I still have and to really appreciate having it. I didn’t want to lose him, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose us either, but he didn’t want to be stuck in the cat carrier more. He chose to stay in Brasil. Although it hurts, ( and yes, it still does and it probably will for a while longer) losing him amplified the wonderful adventure we had, the strong, healthy family we still are, and the closing of one chapter leading into the next. If he is meant to come back to live with us, I will take him back in a heart-beat. Like I said, he is the perfect cat. But for now, I just have to thank God for the time we had with him, and have faith that he will be safe and healthy in Brasil. We have many more adventures ahead of us to look forward to.
Good-bye Simba. God be with you and watch over you. You will be missed.
Pam
