When it rains ...

Let's start with the good news: Bruise and Bucket each earned a new book from one of the Summer reading programs. Bucket was asleep in the car when Bruise and I went in (Hey, relax! Michael was napping in the car, too. I don't leave my kids unattended in the car for minutes at a time!), so Bruise got to pick out his book and Bucket's (I had it narrowed down to three choices for her: Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, and My Little Ponies. He said she'd like the Princess book the best. He chose a board book of Mo Willems. Nice choice, if Dana [one my my librarian ladies] and I say so ourselves!).

We spent the morning at the zoo after I got up, cleaned up Gingi's abscess (and had to giver her a shower to clean up the abscess after she lay down in the litter box), and got dressed. Michael had packed up a lunch while I did all that. The new African Safari exhibits are getting closer and closer to being completed. I'm getting eager to see the lions and Cerval cats.

We got Michael's truck towed (we think there's a problem with the fuel line. Ugh. He's going to be working on fixing it this weekend. Wish us luck!!). (Also, if you need insurance, I totally love our AmFam. They're not paying me to say so. Not that I'd argue if they really WANTED to give me some money. ^_^)

We got home ... and I checked on Ginger. She wasn't doing very well at all. Not responding to visual or aural stimulus. She was breathing and her heart was beating. She'd moan a little, like a wana-be meow-thing. She would stretch out and do a lying-down-trying-to-run-thing. And he breathing would be either really quiet or little gasps.

The vet's office had closed ... or we would have taken her in.

I just cuddled her as best I could in my lap, brushed her, pet her ... gave her some water (she wasn't drinking, so I got a bottle and used the nipple to shoot some water into her mouth. She'd swallow it).

It really seemed like most of her was gone ... that there was just brain stem kinds of activities. Which just breaks your heart to watch, really. I gave her permission to go. A few times, even. I noticed that she had peed on the towel I had her wrapped in. So I changed that towel, since she was still breathing. I pet her some more and finally cuddled her on my lap as I tried to do some online research for the process of a cat's death. As I read, I looked down at her ... and she was sticking her tongue out a little. Just little lickings of the air. About another minute later, I stopped reading and scratching her head and noticed that her mouth and tongue had no color.

She was gone.

It sucks. Not going to deny that.

But, at the same time, she was in pain. She was just a little shell. It was really time for her to go.

I don't know how Diana-cat is handling it. She seems okay.

Bucket and Bruise asked me, at one point, what I was doing.

"Are you laffin', Mom?"
"No, I'm crying."
"Why you cryin'?"
"I'm sad. Gingi died. And I'm going to miss her."

And Bucket gave me a good pep-talk about how when Jesus comes again and the resurrection happens, Gingi will be alive again "And she'll be able to run and meow!"
(Obviously I'm a slightly better mom that I give myself credit for.)

Of course, after I talked to my mom on the cell phone as we buried Gingi-cat (Michael, doing all the hard labor. I prepared Gingi in a box, and Bucket chatted to and poked at the box Ginger was in), Bucket and I came back into the house where Bruise was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ... and Bucket goes, "Hi [Bruise]! Gingi diiiiiiiiiiied."

And Bruise said, "Oh."

Yeah. That's my boy. A man of many words. *grin*

Oh! While we were driving in town today, outside of one of the florist shops (a member of our [church] ward owns it), there was a sign. ... They have a sign that says "If your name is _____, Come in and get your free rose!"

It was Bruise's name! (Obviously not "Bruise," but [Bruise] ... if you see what I mean.)

So he got a lovely yellow rose. And a yellow balloon to go with it. Which, I think, is pretty cool.

So yeah, that's really been our day.

Started with a trip to the zoo, ended (well, PROMINENTLY FEATURING) with my baby-cat's passing ... but with quite a bit involved.

Oh, also -- Happy anniversary to my mom and stepdad!

Now I'm going to get some tylenol. Crying so much gives me a headache.
(And my stupid hormones don't help. *sigh*)