Willa "She's a good cat" Lee is dead

Willa Lee, cat extraordinaire, has died. We woke up later than usual this morning, and when I did, I went right down to let Willa in and feed her. Willa loves her food and is not one to be missinig in action for feed time. But, she may have been enjoying the garden as she often does when we're late. I called to her and got no response, she was a talkative cat ready with a meow at the tip of her tongue.

Nothing.

I was hopeful, yet the quiet of the garden was gently readying me. There was Willa Lee, looked like she was sleeping next to the Mexican sage. I knew she was gone but called her name even still, perhaps she was just ill.

Stone cold. Our silky cat Willa gone. Two hours later I'm still teary-eyed and crying when I think of the things she'd do. She really loved people, she did the rare thing for a cat, she'd come when called. Always game for a well being hug, Willa was a great lap cat, and perhaps to her demise, a good mouser.

Willa was only 12 or 13, yet recently she began her seasonal rat catching and had begun to lose some weight and even look a little bleary-eyed. CW said she had a hangover from eating a rat. I had mentioned getting our vet to check in on her, but the suggestion went unacted upon. That was about 4 days ago.

She seemed to have died very quickly. She ate her dinner last night and warmed my lap as we watched a video, abruptly jumping off at the sounds of her nightly catch out in the garden.

I jumped up to be sure that she hadn't gone upstairs to bother my cat Stella.

Willa was sitting in the dark kitchen, some moonlight streaming in. This is my last peek at Willa Lee, until this morning.

She seems to have gotten sick in the night, as she had vomitted her dinner up, with a rat entrail it looked like. Then she lay down in a favorite spot to rest. Some rest. I found her at 830 this morning, rigormortis had set in, so she may well have died just after I saw her last night.

I'll miss you so much Willa Lee. She was a bold entity in our home, a fixture.

There'll never be another like her.

So long, Lee.