Now, I know in the scheme of things and with so much loss and tragedy in this world the loss of a pet is not a big deal, to most people. To us it was horribly sad and we still miss her a lot. Kandy became a part of our family in May 2010. We adopted her, along with our other kitty Jade, from some friends of ours who could no longer keep them. My kids had never had a pet, aside from our chickens, and they were so excited to now have 2 pets to love and help take care of. They quickly grew attached to them, as did I. Kandy was not as affectionate and playful as Jade, but there was just something about Kandy that made her special.
When it came time for us to move to Arizona I was really torn about what to do with them. In the end we decided to bring them with us.
Bringing them with us on our move was not an easy task. Cats don't like cars and they were in for a very long car ride. They both fared pretty well and despite Kandy trying to escape at one of our stops we all arrived safe and sound.
Kandy was always a wanderer. When we first adopted them they were both inside only cats. We were told that Kandy was an escape artist and we quickly learned why. She wanted to be outside and when she could manage it, she would sneak outside. Eventually I decided to stop chasing her every time she ran outside and to just let her go outside. Of course, Jade soon discovered the great outdoors too and they were both smitten. Kandy was a curious kitty and loved to explore. On her many adventures she would often return with a "surprise." A bird, a mouse, a baby bunny. She was a hunter and was very good at it. Most of the time they were no longer breathing when she presented us with her spoils, but occasionally she brought home something that was still alive. That was always fun. Not!
Arizona brought Kandy new hunting adventures and she started bringing us lizards. Our cats quickly made themselves at home and Kandy began exploring once again. We would always make sure to bring the cats inside at night to keep them safe as we lived near the forest and near many creatures that would love nothing more than to "play." On a couple of occasions Kandy was nowhere to be found in the evening but she was always back in the morning. So it was on the last night that we saw her. We all have our different theories as to what happened to her, but this much we know for sure. As a family we were headed to back-to-school night and we passed Kandy a little ways down the road. In my mind I thought we should go back and put her inside while she was around but we kept driving. I never dreamed that we would never see her again. I have regretted that decision ever since, wishing that I would have followed my first thought. I finally came to the conclusion that Kandy was a wanderer and if it had not been that night she probably would have disappeared a different night. She was too curious for her own good. In our case, curiosity truly killed the cat.
As far as the different theories...my girls have chosen to believe that a lonely old lady found Kandy and took her in as her own and they have been living happily together ever since. Scott and Jordan have concocted their own ideas of what happened to her. My favorite and most interesting theory that they have presented is that an eagle picked her up and flew off with her subsequently getting hit by an airplane killing them both instantly. My theory, far less entertaining than Scott and Jordan's and not as happy as the girls, is that she probably went from being the hunter to being the hunted.
Regardless of what happened to her we have all missed her terribly. My girls all cried themselves to sleep for several nights and they still talk about Kandy. Megan had a friend from school give her a colored picture of a cat that he drawn and titled it "Kandy." She obviously had talked about her at school and this boy knew how much Megan missed her.
Luckily we still have Jade. As you can see she is very much loved and part of the family.
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