Heavy hearts this morning as we say goodbye to Miss Elsa Fluffyknickers.
You staggered out of the woods with a belly full of stones and seed husks, 20 years young and deaf as a post with chronic kidney disease, your fur so matted your legs were tied to your belly making it painful to walk.
We didn't know your name. The lady who found you thought you were so small she called you Dolly. I named you Elsa after my Gran who would have been 103 that week, and you reminded me of her with your dark eyes and funny walk. So you became Elsa Dolly Fluffyknickers. We never found the people who'd been your slaves before, maybe they died and you wandered off to find food
You were so sad, but had fire in your belly beside those stones and we liked that. We became your new slaves
Poor old thing, you weighed barely 2kgs and no-one thought you'd make it. But you did. You showed 'em, didn't you, Elsa? You told off the groomer who came to release you from the matted knots on your belly, but even he loved your sassy, spunky, sweary personality.
And after you'd sicked out those stones and seed husks and we fixed your teeth you got stronger, we even went out for walks on your harness in the sunshine. You wobbled around grumping and glaring at everyone, putting them in their place and having none of their nonsense.
Then the rescued kittens started arriving and you taught them respect for their elders. A gentle cuff here, a sharp growl there, expertly done - maximum effect for minimum effort. You in a nutshell, Elsa Dolly.
But time marched on, your kidneys didn't have the same stoicism as your heart, and when your muscles became too weak to hold you steady you asked me to let you go. I heard you Elsa Dolly and I listened, and my heart broke in two.
You brought me into cat rescue, Elsa Dolly, you were the first Waltham Forest Cat, my first real experience of saving a truly lost soul. You built me up, Elsa Dolly and I'm a better person because of you. Thank you. I will pay it forward.
I will miss your expectant face, your tentative head butts and your funny little swagger, but most of all, Elsa, I will miss your massive presence in our lives. You were beautiful and we loved you.
Go run free, old pal, I'll see you on the other side of the Bridge, wait for me there. xx
