A post for pet parents who understand the comfort and joy of sharing their sewing space with their animal friends.
This post is dedicated to the memory of Trixie Cat, my precious kitty companion of the last 16 years. Alas, our time together ended with her brief but serious illness and the need to let her quietly go on February 21, 2025.
My time stamped photo says Trixie came into our home at precisely 9:43 PM on February 13th 2009. After a day browsing booths at our local Home & Garden show, my hubby and I went to take a peek at the activity around the onsite Animal Protective League booth. What a perfect venue for making folks aware of the perfect addition to their home sweet home. Always and ever cat lovers, we had lost our previous furry baby and after a long span without a pet I think we both had hopes of finding the "right one."
Well, we were in the booth for some time but the short version of our soon to be adoption happened rather fast. After looking at lots of cats and not feeling any tugs on our hearts, we came upon a lady holding a tabby kitten. She had taken this adorable kitty out of a cage of four tabby sibblings, two short hair and one long hair. They were all beautiful. Before I knew it but she handed her over to me saying "I think you should hold her."
Oh how I wish I had a photo of that moment! That kitten snuggled into my neck and a crowd formed around us with one man in the crowd telling my husband he better buy that cat for me because that cat needed to go home with me. Next thing you know we were signing papers and carrying an APL cat in box made with breathing holes to the car. We scrambled to get to a pet store before closing time on the way home, just making it to get necessary supplies. I should add that she would not tolerate the box but wanted to be back up over my shoulder, nestled into my neck which would prove to be her favorite perch for the next sixteen years. My hubby and I looked at each other wide eyed, delighted but experiencing an oh my moment at the same time. We had never raised a kitten before together. That little kitten played with a toy mouse until after 1:00 AM, making herself right at home!
Well, we were in the booth for some time but the short version of our soon to be adoption happened rather fast. After looking at lots of cats and not feeling any tugs on our hearts, we came upon a lady holding a tabby kitten. She had taken this adorable kitty out of a cage of four tabby sibblings, two short hair and one long hair. They were all beautiful. Before I knew it but she handed her over to me saying "I think you should hold her."
Oh how I wish I had a photo of that moment! That kitten snuggled into my neck and a crowd formed around us with one man in the crowd telling my husband he better buy that cat for me because that cat needed to go home with me. Next thing you know we were signing papers and carrying an APL cat in box made with breathing holes to the car. We scrambled to get to a pet store before closing time on the way home, just making it to get necessary supplies. I should add that she would not tolerate the box but wanted to be back up over my shoulder, nestled into my neck which would prove to be her favorite perch for the next sixteen years. My hubby and I looked at each other wide eyed, delighted but experiencing an oh my moment at the same time. We had never raised a kitten before together. That little kitten played with a toy mouse until after 1:00 AM, making herself right at home!
The next day was full of "getting to know you, getting to love you" time for the three of us. I'll never forget how tiny she was!
To say that we bonded instantly is an understatement. Perfectly content to be indoors all the time, through the years she spent many happy times with me in my sewing space. Even as a kitten, she seemed to know that sewing time meant I would be staying in the same place for a lengthly span of time.
I sometimes found her in unusual hiding places.
Trixie liked keeping a watchful eye on my embroidery progress.
And supervising my sewing space activities from high atop my computer armoire where she managed to get up and down without disturbing a thing.
She loved being close by, oblivious to my deadlines and need for concentration.
My shoulder was always her favorite spot. Both in and out of the sewing space, each day included hugs. All I had to do was bend down and more often than not she would jump up and stay for a bit of cuddle time.
She joined me on occasion while I typed my weekly email note to sewing friends. I gladly used just one hand and enjoyed having her company as I often wrote late at night when the house was quiet.
We are missing her now and the times I had to shoo her off of sleeping on my fabric seem quite inconsequential. We had our last hug as I held her close before saying goodbye.
She was a gift and we were blessed to have her in our family.
If you are a pet parent and want to share your thoughts or stories about a beloved pet in your sewing space I welcome you to leave your comments below.
If you are a pet parent and want to share your thoughts or stories about a beloved pet in your sewing space I welcome you to leave your comments below.
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