Once in a lifetime, if you are very fortunate, you will encounter nobility. Because it is such a rare quality you might, like myself, not immediately recognize it. Once you do however, it can not be denied no matter how improbable it’s host may seem to the world.
I met nobility. It shared my life for 18 years. It walked with silent grace beside me and now it is no more. It coddled me, uplifted me and was persistent in it’s affection for me.
It was forgiving, true and steadfast. This morning, I buried my cat and her nobility left me as her furry little body left her.
Many years ago, she was living in my store dumpster being feral as fate had made her. One day, it was so cold that she crawled into the heated van that I was unloading. I brought her home of course. I had her spayed with plans of finding her a home. As it turns out, she found one for herself. She was a playful ninja which evolved into as regal a feline as those who once graced the throne rooms of ancient Egypt.
I called her Kitty because giving her a name would mean that she would stay. As the years passed, the name became Miss Kitty. On this day, the day she let me, I know her name was Nobility. It always was. My cat ruled her world with a quietude and sincerity that humanity could aspire to.
I pet her one final time. I laid her in her pillowed basket. I placed her favourite brush and toy beside her. I wrapped it all in a sheep skin fur and sent her on her way up the mythical Nile to be rejoined with her ancient Gods, her nobility heralding her way.
tswingwalking 
Carol, So sorry for your loss, I believe a better place awaits us all including our four legged friends.
Many years ago, while trimming some grasses around my house, one of them began to meow. A black cat scampered from the interior of the thing, having nearly lost his ears most likely. I didn’t think much of it, wasn’t the first stray I’d seen in the neighborhood, but over the next week, he remained. Either on my deck under a table, or curled up by my front door on the porch during a rain shower. Obviously, his mind was made up. So in he came. A visit to the vet found he was neutered and declawed on all four paws, a situation which had led to his weight of just under 7 pounds. He was all black, save for a small, whitish patch on his chest. His two huge golden eyes reminded you of a Halloween caricature. I named him Neville, after the character in Harry Potter who also had an unfortunate history. I was worried my pre-existing cat wouldn’t accept him, a previous attempt at adding a second feline had gone very poorly. However his calm demeanor seemed to allay my fears, while my older cat hissed and growled, Neville simply meowed in response. Clearly, he was just happy to be indoors, and had no interest in challenging anyone for dominance. As months passed, they grew closer, and he grew fatter. Eventually reaching nearly 18 pounds, his long stretch without regular meals apparently making him want to eat as soon as he had room. He was skittish, those huge eyes always wide as if a lingering paranoia from his time on the street had left him with some sort of feline PTSD. He loved laying by you, with a single arm extended as if to reassure you, and maybe himself as well, that everything was ok. He also loved the laser pointer, I had a unique model that was shaped like a large ring for comfort. He would sometimes carry it by the lanyard into my bed in the morning while meowing, somehow understanding that he needed me to make it work. His age was unknown, between 6 and 10 was as close as they could guess. So when he began having occasional kidney trouble it wasn’t surprising. A food change had him slimming down, and I was hopeful, until finally one week he simply couldn’t urinate. The vet had few options. He wasn’t drinking or eating, so he was injected with fluids and they drained his bladder the same way. A week passed and I could see him fading. He could only walk a couple feet at a time. Into the litter box, then out again. He kept trying to get to me in between, so I placed a sleeping bag in the hallway adjacent to the box only an arms length away. After a week without food or water, he still simply wanted to be by me, as I slowly, tearfully, counted down the hours until morning. I’d only had him for about 18 months. It was not the first time I’d lost a furry friend, and not even the first time I’d sat up all night with one before the end, but I am continually amazed, and humbled, by their ability for unconditional love, and steadfast loyalty. Neville’s ashes now reside on my bookshelf, with his favorite laser pointer inside the container. As someone who understands, I offer you my heartfelt condolences, and the truth that Nobility will live on in your memories, for a long time to come. Kindest regards Carol.
Thank you. This helps.
Beautiful tribute, Carol. Miss Kitty has crossed the “Rainbow Bridge” and now she is telling everyone about her wonderful life with you. She will always be with you. Love, June from Lethbridge.