On Thursday, March 10th, Chanel passed away at the age of 16. I remember the day we adopted her like it was yesterday.
We had decided to get a cat, but being new to Toronto, we didn’t really know how to go about it. There were plenty of ads in the newspaper stating “Kittens seek a good home”, but without a car it was hard to get around.
When a neighbor told us that Petsmart has animals up for adoption we wasted no time. On the bus I was a little worried though, how was I going to choose a cat? There would be so many there, all with a pleading look in their eyes to pick one of them.
As it turned out, the choice was easy. As soon as we walked into the adoption center of Petsmart, there were these two adorable white kittens playing with each other, and huddled in a corner sat a sad grey kitten.
The kitten looked at us with eyes that said “Nobody wants me, compared to those two, I don’t stand a chance.”
Well, she was wrong, ever the champion of the underdog I decided that this was the kitten for us. I filled out the form, paid the $180 adoption fee and before we even left the store we had decided on a name ... Chanel.
We had decided to get a cat, but being new to Toronto, we didn’t really know how to go about it. There were plenty of ads in the newspaper stating “Kittens seek a good home”, but without a car it was hard to get around.
When a neighbor told us that Petsmart has animals up for adoption we wasted no time. On the bus I was a little worried though, how was I going to choose a cat? There would be so many there, all with a pleading look in their eyes to pick one of them.
As it turned out, the choice was easy. As soon as we walked into the adoption center of Petsmart, there were these two adorable white kittens playing with each other, and huddled in a corner sat a sad grey kitten.
The kitten looked at us with eyes that said “Nobody wants me, compared to those two, I don’t stand a chance.”
Well, she was wrong, ever the champion of the underdog I decided that this was the kitten for us. I filled out the form, paid the $180 adoption fee and before we even left the store we had decided on a name ... Chanel.
Chanel was like every other kitten: she explored, she played and she got up to no good. As she grew up she developed a unique personality though, she turned out to be a caring cat.
This became most evident when I was diagnosed with pneumonia. During those first three dangerous days, Chanel stayed with me the whole time. She didn’t move except to eat, drink and use her litter box.
When I got a little better and moved from my bed to the couch, she parked herself on the backrest of the chair while I lay and watched TV.
When I made some more progress and was able to get up to use the bathroom or make myself some lunch, Chanel followed.
I could tell a hundred stories about the 16 years Chanel spent with us, but since a picture is worth a 1,000 words, lets rather look at Chanel's life in images.
This became most evident when I was diagnosed with pneumonia. During those first three dangerous days, Chanel stayed with me the whole time. She didn’t move except to eat, drink and use her litter box.
When I got a little better and moved from my bed to the couch, she parked herself on the backrest of the chair while I lay and watched TV.
When I made some more progress and was able to get up to use the bathroom or make myself some lunch, Chanel followed.
I could tell a hundred stories about the 16 years Chanel spent with us, but since a picture is worth a 1,000 words, lets rather look at Chanel's life in images.
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Last but not least, Chanel inspired me to write "Kitten Diaries". In print and in memory, Chanel will live on.
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