New Year, New Life

Mother Jade (left) embracing daughter Moonshadow

Who would have guessed that the year 2011 would bring such good fortune to this pair of Siamese cats? I met Jade (Chocolate Point, 14) and her daughter Moonshadow (Blue Point, 9) in October, just days after their mother had passed away, and immediately began a campaign to find them a new home.

I felt certain that an absolutely wonderful home was already waiting for them and had a strong sense that the people who would dearly want Jade and Moonie had recently lost a cat of their own.

I turned to my amazing network of animal friends who did their utmost to help me get the word out. But it was slow going and the wait became disheartening. Then, one day I received a message from a family who wrote to tell me that they had recently lost a beloved Siamese and that his mate was disconsolate. Would they be able to meet Jade and Moonie? And would I like to meet their lonely and grieving boy to get a sense of whether all three would get along?

Theirs was the perfect home I had envisioned, filled with love and laughter. A box in the family room overflowed with cat toys, photographs of beloved Siamese that had lived out their lives filled frames and photo albums. These were long time Siamese lovers who knew and understood the breed. Their boy was sad but allowed me to hold him in my arms and kiss his cheek! Looking into his eyes, I sensed he was ready to make a new start.

On New Year’s Day Jade and Moonie left the only home they had ever known to begin a new life just a few miles away. It was a blessing that they were able to remain in their familiar surroundings until their new home was found, but without their mother, that home had become a monument to grief and loss.

Siamese cats often live into their twenties and having a new lease on life and a brother to play with may make the coming years some of the happiest Jade and Moonie have known. They will be much loved by people who understand that animals grieve the same way we do. Together, feline and human family members will help each other grieve and move on.

While searching for Jade and Moonie's new home, I have felt their mother’s spirit lingering, as if in worry for the fate of her girls. May she now rest in peace.