R.I.P. Calberta
Calberta is the name of our family cat that lived for nearly 20 years. She had long gray fur and was one of the most affectionate and loving cats I’ve ever been lucky enough to know. My mom had to put her down yesterday and while I know we shouldn’t be upset since she lived such a long and healthy life, she’s obviously on my mind and I wanted to share a little about her today.
Oh crap not like that
Calberta was named after Calbert Cheaney, who was a basketball for Indiana University for 3 years in the early 90’s. As die-hard IU fans, we named her Calbert back when we thought she was a boy and simply gussied the name up once we realized she was a lady. I don’t know exactly how long it took us to figure this out but in my defense, I was young. Calberta was the only kitten we kept from the litter that our cat Bernadette had. I had chosen the name for Calberta’s mom, which was unfortunately not after Bernadette Peters but rather Saint Bernadette. This was back in my uber-religious phase when everyone thought I was going to be a nun. Ah, the delusions of youth.
Anyway, Calberta was the type of cat who would follow you around just to curl up in your lap when she got a chance. She would also sleep on my face when I was growing up, causing my allergies to flare up and an irrational fear of falling asleep with her in my room. I think she did this on purpose but it was hard to be mad at her because she was just so darn cute. Of course, this was a dozen years or so or better. As she aged, Calberta was still as loving as ever but she was a little more pitiful to behold. We liked to say (and by we I mean I) that her meow-er was broken because when she mewed it was all crackly and hoarse, like a little old lady’s raspy voice. She still got around pretty well though and up until a few weeks ago she was roaming the woods and backyard per usual. My sister, mom and I used to joke that the poor thing would outlive us all but time eventually caught up with her as it does all of us. She’s now laid to rest in a nice spot behind our house, where she can watch us from now on.
I just wish I could’ve been there with my mom for the ordeal. My mom is the strongest woman I know but no one wants to have to watch a loved one pass away. I’m extremely thankful she was able to spend that time with Calberta though, because that cat really did deserve it. Now she’s playing with our dogs Gabe and Hershey, her mom Bernadette and our other cats Stinkybones (hey she looked like a skunk), M&M and B.C, my mice Oscar and Meyer and my bird Skye. R.I.P. guys, and thanks for being the best pets you could be.
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