Remembering Chantalaria

Helllo dear friends, last week we said goodbye to our dear cat Chantalaria.  We have had many pets here at our farm and losing a pet is never easy.

Chantalaria and her sister Charlotina (fitting names for tortoiseshells don"t you think?) were left in a cat carrier on the side of a highway about 7 years ago.  Fortunately there was a cat rescue near by and a volunteer found them.  There was nothing to indicate their age, any medical conditions or even if they were current with vaccinations. The volunteers at the rescue estimated the two cats to be about 8 years old.  We had recently lost our very first cat and were actually interested in adopting a kitten but after viewing all of the cats at the rescue these two older girls captured our hearts.  A short time later they both came home with us.

Unfortunately Charlotina passed away about 2 years ago.  We are guessing but we believe that Charlotina and Chantalaria were sisters.  Both were torties but with vastly different personalities.  Charlotina craved attention but Chantalaria was always very aloof.  In fact, Chantalaria was the Ultimate Grumpy Cat.  Visits to the vet for shots required two assistants and even at the very end she was able to hiss, scatch and then bite the vet.  

Chantalaria did not venture far from the house.  During warm weather she would go outside but would stay on the verandas or visit the koi pond.  She didnt like the dogs so preferred to stay in the house and would usually only come outside if I was outside as well.

An Adirondack chair is perfect for lounging during the summer.  In addition to the Adirondack chairs there were an assortment of cat baskets on the verandas.  The blankets always had cat hair so even if we didnt see the baskets occupied we knew that they were being used.

Such a photogenic girl!  Truly a princess!

It is possible to spend endless hours observing the fish.

Or taking a moment to rest on the stone staircase.

Or in a pinch even curling up on a dog bed.

We noticed that in last few months that Chantalaria wanted to spend more time with us.  At night she would often jump up on the bed and spend the night sleeping close to me.  If she seemed bothered by the dogs I would move to a different bedroom so that we could sleep together.    

Over the years we have been fortunate to adopt so many pets here at the farm.  We have had several cats since moving to our old stone house...Tigger, Sylverster, Liza, Zachary, Chantalaria, Charlotina and finally Horatio.  Although we are saddened to lose Chantalaria we are so happy that she had such a wonderful cat life here at the farm.

Thank you for visiting my blog and a special thank you to all of the wonderful pet owners that adopt cats and dogs from rescue organizations.  Every pet deserves to live knowing that they are loved and will be cared for.