Farewell to Onyx

Onyx went to sleep and passed to the other side. Her pain is now gone, her frivolity magnified, I expect. Thank you, Killian, for your gentle kindness and generosity.

We buried her on one of her favourite beds - a nautical one that I had made specially for her, with all her favourite toys (squeaky mouse, bitty mouse, crunchy crab, and feather dusters) and favourite treats including shrimp, choicest grass, and fish jerky for the long road.  We covered her with a fleece blanket and one of Alex's dark T-shirts which she always loved to hide in. We laid a rose at her nose as she loved to sniff them and climbed on top of tables to get the best whiff.


We spread the dirt over her and Alex rebuilt the dolmen over her resting place.  It was her favourite spot in the garden when she wasn't aboard the boat but at home. Alex had built a small dolmen with a great view of Croagh Patrick.  I used to sit on top and look out at the view while Onyx sat safely tucked in beneath it and peered out. It was also the place where the birds came to feed so she enjoyed the view all the more. I put the bird seed out to bring in her entertainment. I think she will like it there.

The feral outdoor clan had an inkling as to what was going on. Cinquo watched from a distance. Louise, Mini, and Itsy came by to pay their respects to Onyx. Thelma did laps around the perimeter nervously. All day Cinquo and Mini, the boys, came by and cuddled me extraordinarily like never before. I think they felt my pain. They are all lovely wild kitties. But there was and will always be only one Onyx. They all deferred to her rule.

We put flowers in a jar on top of the dolmen and Alex lit a candle beneath it. The candle stayed lit all night and well into the next day. I watched the light flickering on our bedroom ceiling all night. I heard her tinkle bells and her little feet and felt her brush her soft cheeks against my arm and my legs.

When the candle was extinguished, there was nothing Alex could do to relight it. Today she is truly gone. Death is so permanent.

Farewell,Onyx, the Cruising Kitty. We will always love you.