The end of October can be a sad time of year for us because we lost two precious members of our furry family during this time. Katie and Mom have the passing of Trine on October 21, 2003 in their thoughts, and Katie, Mom, and I have the passing of our kitty Boo on October 29, 2007 on our minds. I though it would be nice to post a small tribute to the pets we have lost that Katie and/or I have known.
This is also Adopt a Shelter Pet Month at BlogPaws. My two current kitties are both adopted shelter cats, and the four pets I will pay tribute to today were all shelter pets as well.
First and foremost, I would like to honor Trine, a dog I never got to meet. The way Mom and Katie go on and on about her, I think she may have been a saint! She was a beautiful 100 lb black Lab/Newfie mix Mom adopted when she was about 15 months old. She was always grateful for the home she landed in. Her and Mom shared a really special bond.
Katie came to live with Mom and spent the next fourteen months with Trine. The photo above was taken of the two of them about two weeks before Trine passed away. Trine spent her first five years in the US and then moved to Germany with Mom. She loved her life in Germany. Sadly, shortly after turning ten, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and passed away with Mom and Katie at her side on October 21, 2003.
Boo was only eight years old when she died suddenly. Mom adopted her as a kitten from a shelter in Germany. Boo was the first of our set of three black cats. She was a true dog lover and could always be found hanging out with us dogs. She had cancer as a young cat, but it was operated on and treated. Her entire eight years she battled her weight, just looked at food and gained weight. We think she lives on in Bert as they have a lot of similarities. Boo was never quite as naughty as Bert, though. Boo moved with us to the US, but sadly passed away after just three months. We miss her a lot!
Biene was the second black cat adopted from a shelter in Germany. She was about six months old and had been abused when she came to live with Mom. She was the most beautiful cat ever with super shiny and very soft black fur – just one small white spot on her belly.
Biene’s best friend was Boo, and if Boo was with her she was a normal cat, but otherwise she lived her life in fear.Β She was scared of everyone and everything her entire life. They were both about the same age, so they grew up together. Biene also came to the US with us, but after Boo passed away, she went into seclusion and never was able to overcome her fears again. Biene passed away from a cancerous tumor in July of 2011.
Our third black cat was Tommy, also adopted from a shelter in Germany. He was always sickly, and he refused to be a house cat. He joined us in the US in January 2008.
Being an outdoor cat he fell into a bit of depression with Minnesota winter. As soon as spring arrived he had to be outside. He always stayed right around our yard but on the night of September 19, 2008, he was on the deck, and then he was gone. We never saw him again and have no idea what happened to him. Mom didn’t want him outside, but he was a true outdoor cat and would ruin things in the house if he was not allowed outside.
I would also like to remember Mom’s other cats that passed away before any of us current pets were born (yes, Mom got the last four cats in the “preppy” 80’s):
- Fluffy – Mom’s very first cat who lived to be 19
- Spaz
- Muffy
- Skippy
- Penelope
Today Iβm joining the Barks and Bytes Blog Hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog! Join up and share in the fun, or just visit a few new blogs!
Sweet memories and they are always in our hearts and minds. Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly
Thank you. They are all in our hearts.
That is a lovely tribute. All of them were beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing on the hop!
Thank you, we will never forget any of our furry family members!
It’s so nice of you to remember your previous loved ones, they all helped you grow into the pet parent you are today. Mom wrote a lot of posts about her childhood pets. Funny, not about the three cats she had before us. I think it still hurts too much. Love Dolly
The cats aren’t as hard as Trine for Mom. She’s always tearing up when she writes or talks about her all these years later.
Love this tribute post. We never have enough time with our precious animals.
Thank you. Time just passes so fast. Mom is astounded at Katie and I being 12 and 8 already. So sad dogs and cats can’t live longer.
What a beautiful tribute down memory lane. It made the mom paws and think about her lost dogs…Buddy, Bozo, Goofy, Zara, Zanda, Diazy and Maggie. Mom was really missing Maggie last night because she never took stuff off the kitchen counter, and I got a 32 oz. box of chicken broth off the counter last night and opened it to share with my 3 Boston terrier siblings. I also got a box of FoodSaver bags and tore the box open in the puddle of chicken broth. Mom said I was a hot chicken broth mess and only I got a bath. The mom misses Maggie. XOXO Sparkle the clean PBGV
We always hear about Trine and how perfect she was, Trine never did this or that, why can’t you behave like Trine…we all make our own paw prints and down the road Mom will laugh at the troubles we caused but in the moment it is tough.
those are wonderful memories to have …gosh we would have the longest ever post if we did all our past furbabies.
There are so many, which is why I only wrote about ones Katie or I knew. They are all in Mom’s heart even if they aren’t on the blog.
No matter how long we have them for it is never long enough. Run free!
Time is always far too short!
Wow- you have so many wonderful furry friends to remember. All of them look like they were devoted and loyal companions. Don’t you wish they could live forever? What wonderful memories you have of them. π
I only wrote about ones I knew, there were other cats and a family dog Mom had growing up, but that would be too long of a post. We sure wish lives were longer, but we know to cherish the time we do have.
That was such a loving tribute and thanks for sharing them with us.
Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute to the ones you and your Mom have loved and lost. They all sounded special in their own ways. We know how tough it is to have a cat disappear and never know what happened to them, but I truly think some cats just really aren’t happy living indoors and you have to let them be happy for the time they have.
I love the photo of Trine and Katie…black and white and such contrasts! I see that theme your Mom likes….black, white dogs, black & black & white cats!
I’m glad you shared your memories with us and even though it’s sad they are gone you have such wonderful photos and memories of each of them.
Mom has a thing about matching pets, so that was that b/w era. Now we have the gray and white kitties that match us dogs. We miss them and it makes Mom nuts not knowing what became of Tom, but we will never know.
We loved reading this – about all your past pets. I’d known about Trine (and what a beauty) but didn’t know you had so many cats! What a crew. Thanks for sharing.
I think Mom has had ten cats including the current set. She was a cat person, and with being a flight attendant, she couldn’t have a dog, so until her late 20’s, it was all cats!
What a wonderful tribute! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thank you, they were all special furs.
What a great tribute Emma! They were all beautiful fur babies and we know they are missed very much.
Trine and Boo we really miss a lot. The others too, but those two were extra special.
Never a bad time of year to celebrate all the great pets in your life, past and present. Even when they’re gone, they’re never far from our heart.
With all those cats, I’m surprised Mom doesn’t have fur balls in her heart! They were all special furs in our lives, though.
What a beautiful post. We never forget those we’ve lost, do we? They remain in our hearts forever.
There are wonderful memories that will always be cherished.
It could be a hard time for us too cause we lost our Benny
Lily & Edward
It gets a bit easier each year, but Mom still cries for Trine, she was a real special dog. So sorry about Benny, he was a great fighter!
This is a lovely tribute post, Emma. Can I say…Trine was absolutely beautiful! Her and Katie looked so content in that photo. Friends to the end. The cats are all super cute too. I think it is a wonderful thing to remember them at the same time each year. You know they are still with you in spirit and you will all be reunited again someday.
Cairn cuddles,
Oz
We will need a real big house in heaven to fit everyone in! The memories are a great thing to have for now, though.
It’s nice to remember all the Saints who came before us. π
It is good to always cherish memories.
It’s never easy to say good bye. But isn’t it great to remember all the wonderful animals that have come into our lives?
I lost my first dogs, Agatha and Christie, in October, two years apart. I always think of them more this time of year.
It is sad to think of them but they are really nice memories
What a lovely tribute Emma. It’s hard when we lose the ones we love, but it’s so nice that we have such beautiful memories.
My mom had a big old orange cat named Stevie. He was a shy cat but he absolutely adored me. He would hear my voice and come running from wherever he was. He was de-clawed (before my mom got him) and a roommate of hers brought him outside one night and he either saw something or got spooked and took off. We searched the neighborhood but never found him. It was 10 years, last month and we still feel sad about it.
Thank you for joining the blog hop! π
Mom’s first cats were all declawed as well, but that was what everyone did way back then. Now we have clawed cats and they haven’t ruined a thing and use all their scratching posts all the time.
Aw, what a great post! Beautiful creatures. It’s sad to think about the critters that have crossed the rainbow bridge, but I love your tribute to each of them.
It is sad, but we never forget the memories.
What a great tribute…
Thank you!
What a SWEET TRIBUTE to those who came BEFORE…. OH the Wonderful Memories they have left with you.
The present is wonderful but the past has lots of great memories.
What lovely tributes to all your fur angels.
Millie & Walter
P.S. We wanted to make sure you got our reply email about the contest.
We did, but Gramma has been in the hospital, so we are a bit short on computer time and haven’t had a chance to respond yet, but thank you for checking π
We are sorry to hear about your Gramma. We had our Grandpa in the hospital a little while ago and it does disrupt things a bit. Paws crossed she feels better soon.
Thank you.
That was a wonderful and loving tribute!
Thank you!
What a sweet and wonderful tribute, Emmadog!
Thank you. They were great fur family members.
That is so sweet for you to honor the pets that have shared your mom’s heart. β₯ They are all beautiful. and we are sure they were very happy, even Biene.
Mom did all she could for Biene and we think she knew that, but she was just scared of life.
A touching tribute!
It’s important to never forget the furs that came before you.
That’s a sweet tribute. It’s good to remember the good times with friends who have gone.
We never want to forget the furry ones before us.
A moving tribute. They are always with us.
They are always there and we also have photos here and there of them too.
Oh I just love that last photo especially. What a beautiful tribute post. <3
They all sound so lovely xx
α¦ husky hugz α¦ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thank you. They were all awesome furry ones.
That’s a wonderful tribute Emma for some very loved pets. My Tyler (my heart) looked a lot like Trine with longer hair. He was a Pyrenees, Golden mix but everyone thought he was a Newfie mix. I’m sorry most of them passed this time of the year. I know when it gets to that time it’s always in your mind and heart. Thank you π
Sometimes mixes look nothing like what they really are. We will always remember the furs that pawed the earth before us.
We’re glad your lives are filled with so many loving and dearly missed pets π
They are gone but never forgotten.
So sorry for your losses. Boo looks like MK. Beautiful remembrance photos. So glad you have them and that you remember each year.
All of them were hard, but Boo being so young and being such a shock was real tough, as we Trine. They will never be forgotten.