Beloved Cat Journies to Valhalla
Greetings to everyone who has been following the Saga of Kilmurry House. I had intended this blog to be a catch up piece, one that entertained with snippets of life here over the last two weeks. The two crazy weeks while we prepared for and lived through our local SCA event. Our last house guests left this morning, and it seemed for a few minutes that life would go on as normal. Last night, The Wolf had taken his favorite cat, Hagen to the vet in a rush. But he seemed to be improving...this is the cat previously made famous in the Blog titled "Cat Nipped" about two months ago.
After our company left, my husband came slowly down the stairs, with a retched look on his face. I did not need psychic powers to tell me that something was very wrong. For one thing, the other cat that lives in my husband's office was running free. I hadn't bothered to put him back in the room, as I suspected there might be a good reason for it. But I thought it was just that the other cat needed some quiet time. One look at my husband had me re-evaluate this idea.
Sadly, I was correct in my guess. About 4am this morning, the kitty had gone into convulsions and was rushed to the vet for a second time in one night. This time, the vet said that nothing could be done and that the cat's brain had probably already shut down. So, Wolf allowed the vet to speed Hagen on his journey to the Rainbow Bridge a bit faster. Its unlikely that he would ever have woken up in any case, but since there was nothing that could be done it seemed best to get it over with and avoid further suffering. I'm not sure how Himedaller (The White God, who Guards the Rainbow Bridge) greets his new feline residents, but I'm sure he directed Hagen straight away to the cat food dishes that are said to adorn the floor boards of Freya's Halls. As many people have said, you know that Freya is a true Goddess because she has two cats who pull her chariot. And you would have to be a Deity to get two cats to go in the same direction at once. Much less pull anything like a chariot!
I suspect that Hagen will not have to do any Chariot Pulling Duties just yet. Even if he was a pretty large cat. He'd gotten pretty thin over the last couple of months, despite lots of special bits of tuna, venison and his very own special cooked chicken with rice dish. Known around here as "Cat Slop." No, I imagine that Freya will look down at her new arrival and say,
"Child, you need to get some meat on those bones before you even THINK about doing any work around here!"
and will call her favorite serving maid to entice him with the most amazing foods his little kitty heart could desire. And since this is Freya's Hall, a place where desire and passion are celebrated, I'm sure that Hagen will even be able to find his beloved chocolate bars everywhere. Perhaps, Freya herself will let him sit upon her lap while he eats one? Or, perhaps he just stretches up from ground level, all the way up to her hand, the way he used to with Daddy?
After he has had all the fresh killed venison, duck, wild boar and chocolate he can eat, why I suspect there may be a hand loomed pillow waiting for him. One woven out of real wool, by Freya's friend, the Goddess Frig. Frig loves to spin and weave and often sends wool pillows over to Freya's hall, since she knows cats just can't get enough the wonderful smell of fresh sheep! So Hagen must have an entire room full of pillows to choose from, since Frig has been making these pillows for a very long time. Almost as long as Freya has been collecting cats.....
Knowing Hagen, who really seemed to be feeling the cold this past winter, he will find the fuzziest, warmest pillow in the hall. Which will also be the one nearest to the fire place. Its a long fire place that runs down the middle of the dwelling, not like our modern ones on the side. This way, many cats and people can all share space beside the fire. Since Freya gets to take half of all the warriors who die in battle as well as her beloved cats, she must use all those warm spaces.
Anyway, once he happily finds his nice, warm pillow I suspect he will want to sleep for awhile. After all, he's had a very long trip and larger dinner than he can ever remember. Not since he was a tiny kitten can he every remember feeling exactly like this. Back when everything was darkness, warmth and silky milk. Remembering this, I imagine his paws will start to go back and forth as he gently kneads the pillow, with the same motions he used to embrace his mothers breasts. Slowly, softly, he will begin the tiny Hagen Purr, the one you can hardly hear unless you put your ear right next to his chin.
Noticing how happy he is, I wonder if Freya will do just that. Laying her golden tresses next to his black ones, and listening to his newly beating heart....
Good bye Hagen, and remember....It is not nice to pull the hair of a Goddess who has just been petting you! Her hair is not a mousie!
Disaster Cat.....