ELIE WAS BORN AT 11:00PM ON FRIDAY, MAY 3 2002 ACCORDING TO HER OTTAWA HUMANE SOCIETY RECORDS. UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH, WE, BRENT AND NANCY (ELIE’S PARENTS) DO NOT KNOW WHERE SHE WAS BORN OR ANY OTHER PARTICULARS OF HER FAMILY, OR EVEN OF THE SPECIFIC DATE SHE WAS FIRST BROUGHT TO OHS.
BRENT’S MOTHER, FLORENCE, ADOPTED ELIE IN NOVEMBER OF 2006 SHORTLY AFTER HIS FATHER PASSED AWAY. APPARENTLY, ELIE TOOK TO HER RIGHT AWAY AT THE OHS. ELIE NEEDED A HOME, AND MOM NEEDED A COMPANION. TOGETHER THEY MET DAY TO DAY LIFE CHALLENGES IN 3 DIFFERENT HOMES... SAMARA PLACE IN STITSVILLE, STONEHAVEN SENIOR RESIDENCE IN KANATA AND CHARTWELL SENIOR CARE RESIDENCE ALSO IN KANATA.
MOM SAID THE OHS STAFF TOLD HER THAT ELIE WAS ORIGINALLY BROUGHT IN TO THEM AT ABOUT A YEAR OLD, THAT SHE HAD MULTIPLE SKIN LESIONS THROUGHOUT AND WAS THE RUNT OF THE LITTER WHEN SHE WAS BORN INTO THE HOME OF HER FIRST OWNER.
INDEED, ELIE WAS A VERY TINY LITTLE CAT NEVER WEIGHING MUCH MORE THAN 3KG OR 6 1/2 LBS. MOM WAS ATTRACTED TO HER AT FIRST PURELY BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT ELIE DESPERATELY NEEDED SOMEONE TO PROPERLY CARE FOR HER AS SHE HAD ALREADY DEALT WITH A LOT OF MEDICAL ATTENTION TO THAT POINT.
SHE HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN THE NAME ELIE PRIOR TO MOM’S ADOPTION BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF IT WAS HER ORIGINAL OWNER OR THE OHS WHO NAMED HER.
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, ELIE ALWAYS EXHIBITED SIGNS OF POSSIBLY HAVING BEEN A BARN CAT BUT WE NEVER KNEW THIS FOR SURE. A COUPLE OF THOSE SIGNS INCLUDED THE FACT THAT SHE HAD A MASSIVE ADDICTION TO ALL THINGS ‘DAIRY’. ALSO, WHEN SHE’D RUN, IT WAS MORE OF A FAST BUNNY HOP THAN THE WAY A REGULAR CAT WOULD RUN.
THE ONE WORD WHICH BEST DESCRIBES ELIE IS ‘FIGHTER’. IN LATE 2016 SHE HAD SURGERY TO HEAL A SERIOUS OPEN WOUND SHE HAD SOMEHOW CONTRACTED AND NEEDED TO WEAR A HEAD CONE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. SHE TOOK TO IT RIGHT AWAY AND ADAPTED SO WELL TO IT THAT SHE EVEN QUICKLY LEARNED HOW TO MANEUVER IT PROPERLY SO SHE COULD EAT AND SLEEP OK. SHE IS BY FAR THE MOST STUBBORN OF ALL PETS EITHER OF US HAS EVER HAD. ONCE SHE IS FIXATED ON WANTING SOMETHING SHE WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO ACHIEVE IT.
ELIE EVENTUALLY CAME TO LIVE WITH US IN GATINEAU (AYLMER) QUEBEC ON THURSDAY MAY 12 2016 AT 1:00PM WHEN MOM HAD TO MOVE INTO A LONG TERM CARE FACILITY. AFTER A SHORT WHILE WE STARTED AFFECTIONATELY CALLING HER ELIE MAY, OR EVEN MISS ELIE MAY, JUST BECAUSE IT HAD A NICE RING TO IT COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT SHE WAS BORN IN MAY. AND ALSO BECAUSE SHE LOOKED AND SORT OF ACTED LIKE A PRISSY SORT OF SOUTHERN GAL — PREFERRING THE COLOR PINK AND ANY REAL BRIGHT FEMININE TYPE COLORS AS WELL AS VERY SOFT FLUFFY FABRICS, ETC. SHE WAS THEN EVENTUALLY OFFICIALLY REGISTERED AT THE VET AS ‘ELIE MAY’.
SOME OF ELIE’S PERSONALITY TRAITS INCLUDE HER ENJOYMENT OF PERCHING ON ONE’S NECK AND SHOULDERS, HER UNBELIEVABLE ATTACHMENT TO HER LITTLE STUFFED TOY PINK CANDY CANE WHICH NANCY GAVE HER FOR CHRISTMAS IN 2016. SHE ALWAYS USED IT AS HER LITTLE PILLOW. SHE LOVED SITTING IN THE KITCHEN SINK AND EVEN DRINKING WATER FROM THERE. SHE ALWAYS LIKED TO BE WITH US AT ALL TIMES, SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF WHATEVER WE WERE DOING, EVEN UP ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER TOPS DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS TO WEEN HER OUT OF THAT HABIT. SO MUCH SO THAT ONE TIME IN A FINAL LAST DITCH EFFORT TO DETER HER FROM GOING ONTO THE COUNTERS, I SPREAD OUT MULTIPLE WATER SOAKED TOWELS ON TOP OF THE COUNTERS. THEN WHILE AT WORK ONE DAY AND MONITORING HER ON OUR HOME SECURITY CAMERA, I SAW HER VERY COMFORTABLY PERCHED ON ONE OF THOSE REALLY WET TOWELS ANYWAYS AND STARING INTO THE CAMERA AS IF TO SAY, “THAT’S IT?!, WHAT ELSE YA GOT?!” PROBABLY HER FAVORITE HOBBY WAS EATING AND ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR NEW FOODS TO TRY. BUT BY FAR, HER ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PASS TIME WAS TO SIMPLY BE COMFORTABLY CURLED UP ON THE COUCH BETWEEN HER MOMMY’S LEGS ALL SNUG AND WARM AND SECURE, OFTEN EVEN ACTUALLY WATCHING TV WITH HER. HER FAVORITE SHOW WAS AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS. IF SHE WASN’T SLEEPING THERE WITH HER, THEN SHE’D BE ALL CURLED UP IN HER LITTLE CAT BED AND PINK BLANKIE RIGHT BESIDE HER ON THE SAME COUCH. SHE EVEN HAD 7 OTHER SIMILAR CAT BEDS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE WITH WHICH SHE WOULD OFTEN USE.
ELIE ALSO LIKED TO SNUGGLE UP TO EITHER OF US IN BED — OFTEN STEALING AWAY A HUGE PORTION OF HER MOMMY’S PILLOW. ELIE ALWAYS LIKED TO REST HER LITTLE HEAD ON PILLOWS. WHEN SHE WAS HEALTHY, SHE LOVED TO LAY ON ALL THE WINDOW SILS IN THE HOUSE SOAKING IN ALL THE SUN SHE COULD GET. SHE LOVED THE COMFORT OF COZY RADIANT HEAT. BUT SHE DID REALLY ENJOY VERY COLD WATER. SHE HAD A LITTLE PINK TOY BOX FULL OF VARIOUS LITTLE TOYS WHICH SHE WOULD SOMETIMES SIFT THROUGH AND CHOOSE HER OWN SPECIFIC ONE FOR THAT MOMENT TO PLAY WITH, BUT REALLY, HER FAVORITE TOY BY FAR WERE SMALL LITTLE PLASTIC SEE-THROUGH BALLS WITH A LITTLE BELL IN THEM. SHE LOVED BATTING THOSE AROUND AND CHASING THEM ALL OVER THE PLACE, EVEN PLAYING SOCCER WITH US BY BATTING THEM BACK AND FORTH TO US. SHE’D OFTEN EVEN USE THOSE BALLS AND SIMILAR TOYS TO RATTLE UP ENOUGH NOISE IN THE MORNINGS TO GET US OUT IF BED. AND ON THAT NOTE, SHE FIGURED OUT THAT IF WE WERE IGNORING HER IN THE MORNINGS, ALL SHE NEEDED TO DO WAS TO GIVE US THESE LITTLE LOVE NIPS/BITES ON OUR NOSE, CHEEKS, LIPS OR EARS AND THAT WOULD USUALLY WORK TO GET US UP.
WHEN SHE WAS HEALTHY, SHE ALSO REALLY LOVED TO PLAY CHASE AND HIDE-AND-GO-SEEK WITH HER MOMMY. ELIE NEVER LIKED BEING LEFT ALONE AND ALWAYS CAME RUNNING TO THE DOOR TO GREET US WHEN WE CAME HOME.
ELIE’S FUR WAS VERY SOFT AND DOWNE-LIKE SIMILAR TO THAT OF A RABBIT.
IN MID 2018, ELIE HAD BECOME ILL AND RETREATED TO A CORNER OF THE DINING ROOM IN HER COVERED BED. SHE FOUGHT THIS OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW DAYS BUT HER PERSONALITY CHANGED A LITTLE AND SHE BEGAN TO EAT LESS AND LESS, FORCING US TO START GIVING HER PEOPLE FOOD ON A RANDOM BASIS BUT THEN MORE CONSISTENTLY AS TIME WENT ON. THIS SEEMED TO HELP WITH HER APPETITE. SHE WOULD REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE MOMENTS WHEN WE’D GIVE HER SUCH FOOD, GETTING EXTREMELY EXCITED. HER FAVORITE WAS CHICKEN BUT SHE LIKED ANYTHING WE WOULD PUT DOWN FOR HER AS LONG AS IT WAS PEOPLE FOOD. SHE’D BE SO ANXIOUS FOR IT THAT SHE’D DEVOUR IT AT A FAST RATE WHILE MAKING ALL SORTS OF ILL-MANNERED MOUTH-NOISES AS SHE ATE, LOL. AT THE MOMENT WE’D PUT ANYTHING DOWN ONTO THE FLOOR WITH US IN THE LIVING ROOM, SHE’D ALWAYS MEOW IN SUCH A SOFT SHORT FEMININE CHIRP SORT OF WAY WHICH ALWAYS SOUNDED LIKE SHE WAS SAYING, “FOR ME?”
INDEED, ELIE WAS ALWAYS A VERY TALKATIVE LITTLE BABY, ALWAYS INTERACTING WITH US IN A COMMUNICATIVE FASHION AND/OR MAKING HER OPINIONS KNOWN.
THEN IN EARLY FEB 2019 SHE RETREATED YET AGAIN. THIS TIME THOUGH SHE NEVER DID RECOVER. AFTER A FEW TESTS, IT WAS DISCOVERED SHE HAD AN INFLAMED HEART MUSCLE WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A SIGN OF ANY NUMBER OF SERIOUS ISSUES.
ON TUE FEB 26 2019 SHE BASICALLY JUST STOPPED EATING AND DRINKING ALTOGETHER. SHE WAS BLESSED THAT DAY WITH HOLY WATER WITH PRAYERS TO GOD, ST FRANCIS, OUR OWN DECEASED DADS, NANCY’S AND SHADOW (OUR PREVIOUS PET CAT) TO PLEASE CARE FOR ELIE AS SHE PASSES OVER INTO THEIR CARE IN THE AFTERLIFE. THIS WAS REPEATED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING MORNING.
AT 11:24 AM THAT MORNING ON WED FEB 27 2019 OUR BEAUTIFUL AND VERY LOVING LITTLE ANGEL, ELIE MAY, PASSED AWAY SMOTHERED IN DEEP LOVE AND AFFECTION FROM BOTH OF US AT HER SIDE. SHE WAS 16 YRS OLD. DR MÉLINA D.-ROMPRÉ PRESIDED. THIS WAS AT THE EARDLEY VETERINARY CLINIC IN AYLMER.
ELIE WAS THEN CREMATED ON FRIDAY MARCH 1ST 2019 AT 3:15PM AT THE INCIMAL PET CREMATORIUM IN BERTHIERVILLE QUEBEC. SHE WAS RETURNED INTO HER MOMMY’S HANDS AT 3:28PM ON THURSDAY, MARCH 7 2019. SHE RETURNED HOME WITH US THAT SAME DAY AT 4:06PM. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER SHE WAS AGAIN BLESSED AND ANOINTED WITH HOLY WATER WITH PRAYERS TO GOD, ST FRANCIS, AND OUR DADS AND TO PLEASE INTERN HER INTO THEIR SPIRITUAL EXISTENCE. THIS WAS DONE AT 5:00PM ON SATURDAY, MARCH 9 2019.