Spunky 1997 - 2009 waiting at the Rainbow Bridge

On September 22nd, 2009, dearly loved Spunky passed away. A loving member of the Boettger family, she was diagnosed with sarcoma, a type of soft tissue cancer, of her hind quarters. Left with an undetermined time, she proved up to her name fighting with spunk and determination against her illness right up to the very end. She will be missed by those that knew her and is survived by her twin sister (Kitara) and human parents.

Spunky came to my life with her sister, Kitara, back in the late summer of 1997. Having just graduated from RDC and going to work at the Red Deer courthouse I decided that having a cat in the house would be a good idea. After all, a house is just a house will you have a cat, then it is a home.



Spunky was originally named 'Frankie' due to her baby blue eyes. However, that name had to be changed when she had her first encounter with an older cat that I was catsitting at the apartment where I was living. She was barely over the fluff ball stage of kitten development and this 3 year old cat had just been brought to the house for a 6 day stay while his owner was out of town on a trip of sorts. The first thing he did was walk around the apartment to claim everything as his own and he did. He first saw Kitara and gave her a hiss and a glare to let her know that he was in town and the new big guy on the street. Kitara responded by short of shuffling away but with a curious look on her face as to what this thing was and what it was doing. He then went up to 'Frankie' and, with his face only an inch from hers, tried the same thing. However, instead of shying away as her twin sister did, 'Frankie' looked at the older cat and in a flash took a swipe at his face and connected. I still to this day don't know who was more shocked at the hit, myself or the 3 year old bully who was expecting to see a little furball run in fear but got a right hook across his face. As soon as the 3 year old cat walked away, trying to regain some dignity, Spunky was born and remained that way through the rest of her life. For the next 6 days I swear everytime the older cat came in to a room where Spunky was he almost looked like he turned to Spunky to ask permission to stay.

It was this spunky attitude that definitly made her a personality character around the house. Many a time during her childhood I would be doing the dishes and suddenly feel a sharp pain in my knee to upper thigh region. I would look down to see what was going on and see a small furball attached to my upper thigh by razor sharp claws with two bright eyes looking at me trying to say either 'so, whatcha doing up there?' or 'any idea when we eat again?' She was always the first one to go looking for a noise that went off in the house and always the first one at your heels when the door was opened cause there was always a new world out there to explore and conquer.



Whenever in the car outside of their kitty carrier, Spunky was always one to look out and see what was happening. One time I was driving from Red Deer to Edmonton and didn't want to have them cooped up in their carrier and crying for 2 hours so I let them run free in the car. Kitara did what I was hoping they would do, curl up on the back floor and go to sleep. Spunky, however, found a better way to travel. She jumped up almost immediately onto the back head rest of the drivers seat, angled herself so she could see out both back and drivers window as well as the front windshield, and spent the whole two hours with her eyes and head darting back and forth at cars and scenary as it flew by. She meowed off an on for the whole two hours but instead of a cry of sorrow and fear they were more meows of "What's that? oh, over there, what's that? and there, what's that?"

Her curiousity was another trait that made her both a joy and pain to have around the house. No cup was safe when she was around. You could be drinking any type of drink and set your cup down on the table and she would have to know what was in it. She would either jump up on the table and walk up to the cup and stick her nose directly in to the cup and have a sniff or drink of it (which I am sure she got a burnt tongue and nose once or twice while staying at my parents place since they drink coffee and hot drinks whereas I stuck to ice tea mainly) OR she would remain on the floor and reach up with her paw to the lip of the glass and dump the contents on herself. Many a time I had to refill my glass after Spunky had given herself an ice tea shower.

Another quirky thing about Spunky was her strange connection with water. I always thought that cats hated water so figured a good way to train them not to do something was to spray them with water. Spunky would do something and then sit there waiting to get hit with the water. I could empty the entire contents of a spray bottle on her and she would sit there to get soaked and then, when it was all empty, look up at me like she was saying "that all you got?" and calmly lick the water off her. I even thought of souring up the water by adding lemon juice (this got her looking at me and saying "lemonade? thanks, but could you add sugar next time?") or tabasco sauce (though think she thought it was mexican night at the apartment then). While she loved to sit on the lip of the bathtub and catch the drops as they fell from the shower head or swat them off the faucet, she hated to be in the sink to have a bath. She definitly had her own unique personality.



So the decision was made and the act was carried out. Both mom and I were a little annoyed that the nice vet in Yellowknife was not around to help us through this difficult time but instead we got the doctor that neither of us like very much. He had a history with Spunky and the family and I am sure that she didn't like him about as much as the family. Both mom and I were happy when during the visit and procedure Spunky managed to find enough strength and 'spunk' to put up one last fight and bite him on the finger. Granted it wasn't a deep one that drew blood but it definitly was the last great act of defiance from dearly loved Spunky.

http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...