This is about a cat called Graci, my pet of 12 years who my family loved and all of my neighbors on our block of Gundry.
She came into our lives 12 years ago. We don’t know how she came about our doorstep, but she was affectionate and loving. We took her in and fed her, expected her to return to her rightful owners, but she returned [to us] repeatedly.
I noticed she didn’t have a collar or ID, so we decided to keep her. We took her to the vet, got her vaccines and were going to have her spayed, only to discover, once [she was] shaved, she was already spayed!
She was a sentinel over our yard and home; she instinctively knew when we would be arriving no matter what time it was. She would greet us with a sweet welcome-home meow and often would give me a lick on the cheek. She had characteristics of a dog! Over the years she would provide us with many presents to show her love for us: assortment of birds, frogs, lizards, garden snakes, doves, finches and a even a hummingbird. She was a skillful hunter with unmatched agility and could scale a tree in no time flat. She was diligent in keeping our yard free of cats, rats and opossum intruders.
Sadly on Feb. 26, 2014, we called her to feed as she was always punctual and were devastated to come upon the visually disturbing discovery of her remains on a next-door neighbor’s lawn. She had lost her battle to three coyotes. She was undeserving of such a savage end to her life. We were blessed to have had her tender spirit for 12 wonderful years. She will be surely missed by our family and all whom she touched. She was our “Amazing Graci.”
David Czapiewski
Long Beach
