Silver Wood Theme Park

I have suffered yet another loss of a loved one this year. Some time Monday my cat, Silver, went outside and we haven't seen a sign of him since. Something serious has happened to him, of this we have no doubt, for he is very old (17 years) and has stuck to the house like glue for at least 2 years. He has arthritis in his back and walks very very slowly. He has slept on Ruth's bed every night since she came home from college. He ALWAYS comes when I call him and he has not responded to our calls since he disappeared. We suspect he has crossed the rainbow bridge.

I'm hoping to be wrong on this, but the last 3 nights he's been missing have been frosty cold. There's no way he'd have stayed out all night in the cold.

We've been expecting this to happen for awhile now. In fact, we were kind of surprised he made it through last winter.

Silver came into our lives on April 26, 1993. He is a descendent of Crookshank Hank and Grey Cat-two cats who were in the Park family for a very very long time. His parents were Crookshank Frank and Inky, the first cats who came to live with us when we moved back to north Idaho.I was the midwife who helped bring him into the world. We've been close ever since.

Many an hour I have spent with Silver in my lap, or sitting at my feet, watching me knit. He always had great respect for my knitting. He didn't play with it, or eat the yarn like other cats have through the years. He kept his paws off it. Sometimes he would be my model for photos of my knitting and would have a huge amount of patience, posing for me willingly.

 He would go on walks with me on the Parkarosa, following me loyally, like a dog, peering curiously at all the wild flowers I would point out to him. He was incredibly smart. He could open doors by stretching out and turning the knob with his front paws. He absolutely loved raw hamburger, and roast turkey. He was also the best mouser I've ever known.

There is a pack of coyotes hanging around our place. We hear them howling and yipping almost every night. Several people in the area have lost pets this summer to them. I prefer to not think about that. Instead, I want to believe that on Monday afternoon, he laid down in a warm sunny spot somewhere in the woods near the house, fell asleep, and that was that. Peaceful, and happy.

Silver, where are you? I miss you so very much.

Live long and prosper. \\//