Collette and my 96-year-old mother have developed a friendship that sustains both of them.
As a beautiful yellow-eyed sable Burmese who knows her job description well, Collette attached herself to Mom in the summer of 2002 after a six-hour drive from California to Arizona in which she vocalized her fear and protest in clear cat language. I had taken her as a gift to Mom, who still mourned the loss of her second husband to cancer and the loss of her Yorkshire terrier, which she had given reluctantly to another owner. Despite the travel trauma, Collette quickly made herself comfortable in her new surroundings, making sure that Mom understood the distinctive Burmese qualities of playfulness, intelligence and undeniable loyalty.
Fast-forwarding seven years, Mom has some decisions to make. As a victim of emphysema and the subsequent susceptibility to pneumonia and bronchitis, she has experienced health complications in recent months. She has refused the option of moving into assisted living because she cannot take Collette, her best friend, with her. Instead, we have arranged for nurses and aides to come into her retirement center home to assist with health care, hygiene and other needs.
She and Collette will continue their daily routines, both depending on one another.
(Note: Collette is the product of Bon Marche' Burmese Cattery in Escondido, CA.)
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