Editor's Letter
Lessons from a Cat
Some people think all they do is sleep; mine taught me how to live.

I learned a hard lesson about life and the meaning of relationships recently. My emotions are still raw, but I want to honor a life lost: my beloved cat Delaney. A few days before press time, a car hit her, killing her instantly. Because I had always feared this would be her fate, every morning I scanned the road to make sure she wasn’t there. That morning she was.

Without recounting the trauma of the following moments, I can say that my husband and I spent a weekend nearly immobile with grief. People who don’t have pets don’t quite understand the sorrow. They seem to think that because an animal isn’t human, it’s not as important. But pet owners know better. Animals are part of our families, our daily lives. Mike and I aren’t ‘crazy cat people,’ but we loved her and she loved us. We could tell because she greeted us at the car when we’d come home from work with a head nuzzle on our legs and a loud purr. She would sometimes put two paws on my thighs to be lifted up and I’d carry her over my shoulder like a baby. Before bed, she would lie on my chest and put her wet nose up to mine while I scratched her neck.

Delaney disliked other cats but adored humans. Every place we’ve lived, she made friends with the neighbors. When we lived at Union Hill, she’d visit the patrons at the Martini Corner bars late at night, and we’d get a call from the bouncers to come get her. She would follow the mailman on his route down our block, and she once hopped through an open window and watched TV on the couch with a guy who let her. When we moved near the Nelson, she would spend hours in the dirt with a woman across the street while she worked in her garden. At our farm, she’d crawl under the fence to lounge in our neighbor’s barns while they puttered around — and sometimes get locked in.

We have numerous stories to keep her memory alive. And now that she is physically gone, we are following in her footsteps by reaching out to other people. We have been calling our families and many friends we hadn’t ‘had time’ to talk to because we realized that we don’t necessarily get as long as we’d like with those we love. Delaney’s death made us understand that we actually weren’t too busy to do the one thing that really matters in life: love each other.

Each day that passes gets easier, but I hope that her lesson never fades. We all have to make the people (or animals) in our lives a priority. It’s so easy to get caught up in careers and schedules, but none of that is as important as those you love. So share it. Do it one phone call or letter at a time — or an extra long nuzzle with your favorite four-legged friend. I sure wish I had taken a few extra moments.







Andrea Darr,
Editor-in-Chief
adarr@kc-hg.com

A Final Home

While pets are now getting every luxury in life, from baked goods to haute couture, why not in death, too? Kansas City has a number of businesses and organizations to help grieving pet owners honor their special friends.

Here are some resources:
Parkville, Mo.
www.visitrollingacres.com

Kansas City, Mo.
www.waysidewaifs.org

Overland Park, Kan. www.preciouspetsmemorialcenter.com