Our sweet and adventurous kitty Miga was hit by a car on the morning of May 13 and perished. It was the end of an all-too-short life for our fearless domestic shorthair.
She joined us just over a year ago when our friend Ahmed Sharma brought her into the family. Shortly after her arrival, we named her Amiga, or Miga, for short, because she was everyone’s friend.
The greyish-brown striped feline started her life indoors, a cuddle bug that adored kneading the lap, belly or chest of anyone that provided a warm-body and horizontal surface. One of her favorite places to sleep in the early days was right next to your face on the same pillow where you rested your head.
As she grew up and gained more confidence, she assumed total control of our dog Cacteye’s dog beds. Inside or out, she reigned. He didn’t seem to mind, perhaps because she was such a willing playmate.
The two forged a quick and deep friendship. Cacteye, another rescue, and Miga would famously wrestle each other in the bed covers in the mornings, getting tangled in sheets and blankets and fake fighting with extended paws. In the evenings, they played chase in the front yard, taking turns hiding from each other, then pouncing in play.
Miga adored toys and playtime, and never turned down an offer of catnip, which she would find in the garden or on the kitchen window sill. Rubbing her face in the green foliage, she would then roll around on the ground or floor, winding down from a long day of playing, eating, sleeping and hunting.
Over time, Miga became an accomplished killer. She massacred cockroaches, mice, geckos and even some butterflies, hiding in the foliage of our downtown pollinator garden and joining us on the front porch in the evening as the sun set. One of her favorite perches for pursuit was an oak tree in the back yard, which was inhabited by a squirrel family. Miga would await their movements, stalking the tree and and climbing up its young trunk, but the squirrels were too fast for her.
As she gained confidence and grew towards adulthood, Miga became more confident and adventurous. In recent months she preferred to sleep outdoors on Cacteye’s cushy dog bed, than join us and Cacteye inside.
Perhaps this contributed to her demise. On the morning of March 13 a kind woman rang the doorbell and asked if we had a cat. She had noticed Miga dead in the street in front of our house and had taken the time to pull over and put the body on the sidewalk. She noticed the Airpod tracker on Miga’s collar and tried to locate us, but to no avail. She then asked our neighbor if the cat was his, and was directed to us.
It looked like a quick death, but the pain for our family will be long lasting. Miga’s short addition to our lives enriched us greatly. We miss her already.
Rest in peace, sweet Miga. You will be forever loved, always missed, never forgotten.
maecklerivardourchives 