Hello. Goodbye and... Hello?
Before Isi came into our lives, we had our dynamic trio at home for quite a while: galgo Paco and big mix Sol from Spain, and cat Maus from Romania. Together, they were also called our three musketeers, a delightful bunch that got along really well.
Paco, almost 15 years old, was the oldest of the group and suddenly became seriously ill, seemingly overnight.
The veterinarian's diagnosis was acute pancreatitis, and after further examination, it turned out that his kidney values were so bad that he would have at most another month or two to live.
Fortunately, Paco still had over 5 months of a very happy time during which, with medication and a homemade kidney diet, he could still fully enjoy life.
Suddenly, the moment came when his body indicated it could no longer continue. That same day (of course on a Sunday... Paco had always had expensive taste!) we also asked the vet to let him pass away at our home in the presence of Sol and Maus.
In the afternoon, our veterinarian and her assistant came in.
Paco was already lying quietly in his bed, which was in his favorite spot: in front of the electric fireplace, with a view of his beloved food bowl and of his brother Sol, who was lying on his own pillow by the window.
After a loving farewell, it happened quickly; it was clear that his body was truly worn out, and the veterinarian confirmed that Paco had passed away.
At that moment, the electric fireplace turned on, the lamp above the feeding bowls lit up, and the little light by Sol's basket turned on.
For a moment, everyone was silent and looked around in astonishment.
Who did this?
Nobody was touching the light switches and everything was plugged into a different outlet that couldn't be controlled with a single button…
A little upset, we joked that Paco was letting us know in this way that he had finally arrived at the place where he was surrounded by hopping bunnies and endless cups of whipped cream!
Paco was taken away by us to the crematorium after an hour and when he came back in his urn after a few weeks, these three things flickered on again: the lamp by the food bowls, the electric fireplace and the lamp next Sol's basket.
Dát was wel opmerkelijk, want in de tussentijd was dit nooit meer voorgekomen, maar we zijn nuchtere mensen, dus we deden het af met een grapje en riepen in het luchtledige: “Welkom thuis, Paco!”
In the year that followed, the absence of Paco was greatly felt, but we were at peace with the fact that he had passed away after a long and healthy life.
However, Sol also began to deteriorate, initially mainly mentally (he reversed his day and night rhythm and could no longer be alone comfortably) and gradually he lost more and more strength in his hind legs.
However, he remained cheerful and crazy about his food, but in the end, his age of over 14 caught up with him, and we had to make the sad decision to let him go as well.
The same kind veterinarian and her assistant appeared on the doorstep, and we also briefly talked about Paco’s passing and his special final farewell.
We walked to Sol; he was lying on his beloved pillow, happily eating a little treat while enjoying an ear massage as he received his last injection.
The moment the veterinarian was finished and went to check the heartbeat, we suddenly heard a 'CLICK' and sure enough... the lights and the fireplace turned back on!
Again we looked at each other in surprise and looked around: no one was sitting anywhere and only these three were.
Despite our skepticism, we also thought it was a nice gesture, and after the initial shock, I thanked Paco for looking after his furry brother Sol!
After that, it was a bit of an unreal time: both of my parents became seriously ill, and we had to find a new rhythm without dogs, something we absolutely did not like at all!
We missed the coziness, the structure that the men brought with them, and the daily forest walks were much less enjoyable without furry company.
So when the situation became a bit more stable, Isi came into our lives. On the first evening he was with us, the familiar three lights suddenly flickered on again!
We just interpreted it as Paco and Sol approving of their new successor.
In the months that followed, we faced even more setbacks, and amidst all the ups and downs, cat Maus also became ill…
At seven years old she should be in the prime of her life, but suddenly she almost stopped eating and drinking and of course she went straight to the vet.
There we were told that she also had acute renal failure and despite a hospital stay of several days and intensive care at home, it soon became clear that Maus would not make it.
We also had to make an appointment for her to be put to sleep at home…
The next day, Maus lay quietly on my lap in her favorite fleece blanket, and as soon as the vet started to prepare her things, the lights and the fireplace came back on one by one!
Apparently Maus also got her send-off under the watchful eye of her two big brothers!
In the weeks and months that followed, the lights and the fireplace remained off, or at least they didn't turn on by themselves anymore!
The story came up once in a while, but everything remained calm.
The ashes and a few mementos of Paco, Sol, and Maus had found a nice place in the house, and life went on.
But even now it still didn’t feel quite complete: I missed the coziness of a sweet, affectionate lap cat, and every time I draped a fleece blanket over my legs in the evening, the absence of little cat paws running over to claim a good spot on my lap was there.
It is probably no surprise that after some time another adoption application was made; this time our family was expanded (or should I say: completed?) with the arrival of cat Mia.
She came from the same shelter that Isi came from and turned out to be a perfect match.
We weren't the only ones who thought so; apparently, our three musketeers approved as well: the evening Mia was exploring her new home here for the first time, the electric fireplace and the two lamps turned on again!
Mia looked at where the sound was coming from, walked over to the electric fireplace and sat down in front of it purring, right where Maus always lay on the edge of Paco's basket.
Meanwhile, Isi was lying in Sol's old place, looked up when the light came on there and then slept happily again.
Since then, not a single time have the lights come on spontaneously, and my mind blames it to coincidence, but my heart wants to believe that every now and then we still have brief contact with the other side!
Lonneke
