Comments on: A Life Measured in Books and Cats

By: Rob King

Rob King — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:14:29 +0000

Thanks, Steven and Kaaron. Your kind words mean a lot.

By: Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:34:36 +0000

Thank you for this beautiful post, Rob. So sorry to hear about your loss, but what a wonderful time you shared together.

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:22:05 +0000

So sorry, Rob. I’ll miss Merlin and the Monsignor you’d mentioned in passing as well. Good cats, both.

Please tell me you won’t name your next cat Death if you’re writing a sequel to Angel next, though.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:26:00 +0000

Thank you, all, for your kind words! They really do help.

Steve and June–I’m so glad you have Merlins in your lives, too.

Sharon–thank you for sharing about Bear and Sully and the richness they bring to your life.

June–thank you for your poem about the Beautiful Enchantress Acrasia.

Thank you, all, for taking the time to read this post about Merlin. I still can’t believe he’s gone.

By: June Sutherby

June Sutherby — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:52:44 +0000

Acrasia died four years ago, of old age, she was nineteen and you have echoed my feelings perfectly. I wrote this poem eventually, when the sobs subsided. I could not bear to be without a cat so we got a tabby and called him Merlin,(handsome Enchanter!).

ACRASIA. (Which means Beautiful Enchantress).
Acrasia was a long-haired tortoiseshell and white,
When I first laid eyes on her she was such a sorry sight.
Abandoned on a sink estate, thrown out into the world
She lay thin and weak and lonely and very tightly curled.
I took her home and nursed her, fed and kept her warm,
I cuddled and I played with her, kept her free from harm.
She wouldn’t let me near her in the garden or the street
But in the house she was in my arms, on my knees, under my feet.
My daughters fell in love with her as she tried to steal their food
She was a happy, loving, playful cat and rarely in a mood.
She was gently, oh so pretty, soft and warm with a long pink tongue
But when other cats strayed on her patch she showed them she was strong.
She’d arch her back and spit and snarl with tail up in the air,
The clsws were out, the teeth were flashed, she really had no fear.
As time went by she learnt to say, “I want to come on your knee”
“I need to be fed”, “I want to go out” and she learnt to cuddle me.
We lived together and day by day grew older and stiffer together,
Neither of us thought much to the cold but loved the sunny weather.
When I slaved in the garden, Acrasia played slave-owner in the sun,
We did almost everything together, we had so much fun.

Then suddenly nineteen years had gone and Acrasia passed away,
The hurt, the pain, the sorrow, will stay forever and a day.
I’m crying now as I write this, for the love she returned ’til the end,
My Beautiful Enchantress, my affectionate furry friend.

By: Sharon Skeen Smith

Sharon Skeen Smith — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:28:55 +0000

Hey Rob,
Sorry for your loss. Pets are always part of the family and I totally believe you when you say that Merlin talked to you. We have two dogs now, one a Golden Retriever named Bear and the other an English Springer Spaniel named Sully. Bear, is the more talkative one, but Sully is the boss, or so HE thinks. You/We will always be richer in our own souls for having loved and cared for a creature so special that they take a piece of our heart with them when they go.
Blessings to you, Jenny and the boys at this difficult time.

By: Steve Ince

Steve Ince — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:24:02 +0000

What a beautiful post. I’m sorry for your loss.