My Brave Natty Gann

You came to me, that fine Autumn day
Walking down that long, shaded drive.
Right up to me you walked
Sat yourself down on my feet
Looked up at me, meowed as if to say
"I am here now, what needs to be done?"

You were my little shadow
There at the barn
Little black cat, with your white toes
Always at my feet, helping me do my chores
Fearless you were, around the horses
In and out of the stalls
Under the hooves and bellies  
I nearly called you shadow
For everywhere I went, everything I did
You were there.

But your Brave little soul
Kept shining through
And you could be known as nothing else but
Natty Gann.
I feared for you
So home you came with me
Your days of being a 'barn cat' over.
You had a new job
Protector of my home
Guardian of the future kittens to come
Healer of troubled hearts.

You gave of yourself freely
Your kind spirit shining through.
When your sick little brother, Dexter
Came to live with us
You took him under wing
And as I nursed his sick body
You nursed his unsettled spirit.

Such a friendly little cat you were
Loving company
Always needing to be
In the middle of guests or family.
Climbing into laps, sitting there
Quietly purring.
And such a flirt!
Loving the men folk
Lying in their laps looking up
Gazing into their eyes
Making those 'goo-goo' eyes
Until yours glazed over!
My tiny guard cat
Always alerting me when
Someone knocked at the door
By that low, rumbling growl.
I believe you would have taken on a
Grizzly
If you felt you needed to.

And the time just a few months ago
When smoke began to fill the kitchen
From something burning on the eye
Three times you came to me
Meowing incessantly and
Walking toward the back of the house
Away from the smoke
Three times you came until I
Acknowledged your alarm
And followed you to where you
Deemed was safe.

That unique little body
With your back end slightly higher
And that tiny stub tail!
The black fur that was longer
Then the actual tail.
That silky black fur that feathered off
And I call it your 'tail feathers'.
That little body that set you apart
From the other cats
Finally betrayed you and became
Your undoing
Your back legs deceiving you
The confusion in your eyes when
You had trouble walking
But always, always your brave spirit
Shining through
Pulling and tugging
With your front legs until
You were standing
And walking.

The countless times we did
'Physical therapy'
Me massaging and pushing on your legs
Forcing you to push back
To help them become stronger.

But even with all of our work
And your determination
We could not hold back the
Ravages of time

And it became time for me
To let you go.
My dear Natty
I can't tell you how hard
That was for me
Or how much I miss your
Gentle, loving spirit
And your sweet, welcoming hello.

Oh Natty, I am so Thankful
You found me that day
For I am blessed to have
Shared my life with you.

~ Sherry ~   ~||:-)

June 16, 2001

In memory of Natty Gann