Stinkerbelle
March 28, 2007 – April 2, 2016
In case you missed it on Facebook over the weekend, or in yesterday’s post, on Saturday Stinkerbelle left us. She didn’t come down from her usual spot atop the kitchen cabinets for snack time, and when Fred got out the stepladder to look for her, he found her curled up in her favorite bed, still and looking peaceful. It appears that whatever happened was fast and (we hope) painless for her.
She’d been acting normal in recent days – in fact, on Friday she yelled at me when I wasn’t fast enough with her snack plate in the morning, and then in the evening she terrorized Alice a bit, as she was wont to do.
I am sure that in the 7 1/2 months since Tommy died, she missed him terribly. I had hoped that she would allow us to comfort her, but she always lived her life on her own terms, and she had no use for attention from me.
Though she mostly kept to herself and was a quiet presence, we will miss her very much.
She’s been laid to rest in the back yard, right next to her Tommy.
Stinkerbelle came to us in early June of 2007, a little more than two months old, along with her two brothers and sister. Her name was originally Maryanne, because we went with a quasi-Gilligan’s Island naming theme (her sister was Tina Louise since Ginger had already been used, one of her brothers was Gilligan, and the other was Spanky because he looked like our Spanky). They were an extremely skittish litter, especially Stinkerbelle. All I wanted to do was get my hands on them and snuggle them, but none of them would go for it at first. They eventually warmed up, and as they became friendly, they went off to Petsmart one by one, with Stinkerbelle going last.
While they were with us, they met Tommy one day. In my memory, they all ran over to him and fell immediately in love, but a reread of the post shows that my memory is faulty – Stinkerbelle hissed and hissed at him. At some point, she must have stopped the hissing and fell in love, because she certainly LOVED that boy.
Once her littermates went off to Petsmart, Stinkerbelle got the run of the house, and she pretty quickly made herself at home. It seems amazing to think of it now, but she used to hang out on the couch with Fred in the evenings while we watched TV, and would let him pet her. She was never really crazy about me – I guess she preferred the menfolk – but she would occasionally let me pet her, and while she didn’t like being handled, she’d allow it.
I don’t remember why Stinkerbelle was with us for so long, but one evening in September she went off to Petsmart. I happened to be cleaning the cat room the next morning, and reported to Fred that it looked like she’d been digging at the door of her cage, trying to get out. That was all she wrote – Fred stopped by Petsmart after work and brought her home.
So smug.
Did I mention that she loved Tommy? She loved him so very much. She would seek him out and snuggle up next to him. She’d push her head under his chin so that he’d lick her ears. She took so much comfort from him. She wasn’t always up in his business in later years, but every now and again she’d seek him out, and he was so sweet to her. She loved to just lay and look at him and give him the slow blink-blink Eyes of Love.
At some point, after she’d been with us for a few months, she discovered that she could get up on top of the kitchen cabinets, and that became her favorite place to be. She’d make occasional trips to the front room to sit up high on the platforms in the corners of the room, or on top of the bookcases, but the kitchen cabinets were always home base to her. She’s the entire reason Fred put the shelves up in the kitchen, because other cats would get up there and get too close to her, and she’d freak out because she didn’t have a way past them to get down. Once the walkway was in place, there was always a way for her to get down.
I loved looking up and seeing that beautiful face glaring down at me. SO much disapproval!
There were these pockets of time when, for reasons known only to her, Stinkerbelle would come down from atop her cabinets and demand attention from Fred. She’d do this for a few days, and then she’d be off again, untouchable as she sat up high watching us go about our lives.
Like I said, I’m sure that she missed her Tommy terribly over these past months, though she never gave any sign of it. Cats are stoic and don’t show their pain easily, and I’m certain that Stinkerbelle would have considered it beneath her to let the peasants know her heartbreak.
She was never so happy as when she was gazing upon her beloved Tommy; as much as we miss her, I love knowing that she’s with him again. I like knowing that he was there to greet her, and that she can spend the rest of eternity following him around and giving him the Eyes of Love.
If you’re of a mind to, donations can be made in Stinkerbelle’s name to Challenger’s House.
They accept donations by mail (check or money order), by phone (Mastercard/VISA), or there’s a Paypal button at the bottom of the Petfinder page.
Challenger’s House
112 Tristian Rd.
Toney, AL 35773
Phone: 256-420-5995
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Previously
2015: Not. A. CARE.
2014: I love how Angelo is 100% sure that his presence on the bed is desired, and Dennis’s face tells another story.
2013: “I wish I hadn’t looked.”
2012: Also, they like to bite… everything.
2011: It’s exhausting to be a wee bebbeh kitten, is what I’m saying.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: The chicks react to worms by grabbing one of them and then running wildly around the pen so that the other chicks think she’s got something really good and start chasing her around to get it from her.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Godbye, beautiful Miss Stinkerbelle. I’m in tears, I loved her so much. I do believe she is with Tommy now, happy forever. I wish that one day, when my time is ripe, I die just the way Stinkerbelle passed away: where I feel safe, close to people I love, peacefully and in sleep. Hugs to everyone at the Crooked Acres.
As I wrote on FB, I’m so sorry for your loss 🙁
You have really lost too many friends during the past few months, and I am sure you now deserve some peace and a long, long period of serenity.
Stinkerbelle just couldn’t wait, you know: she waited and waited and waited, and when she realized that her Tommy was not coming back, she decided to go and meet him at the Bridge. Rejoice, because they are together now and for the Eternity, and will be greeting us, too, when the time will come <3
Oh my goodness, Roberta. This made me cry at my desk at work.
Robyn, I am so sorry. I had not seen this on Facebook. I love that you and Fred always gave her a loving home without expectations of payback. In return, she reigned from her throne on high. Beautiful girl, now you’re with Tommy.
Stinkerbelle was w-a-y to young and healthy to go. Therefore, I truly agree with everyone, it was due to missing her Tommy. I, too, am in tears. I, too, hope that when my time comes it is in my sleep and as peaceful at it was for Stinkerbelle. Her beauty and her sass will forever be missed. Your cats not only live forever in your heart, they live forever in ours.
Peace be with you.
What a lovely tribute. I am just so sad — but equally glad that Stinkerbelle got to be her special self till the very end. Thanks for giving this beauty the ideal, understanding home and for sharing her with us.
Aww, Stinkerbelle. I’ll miss that beautiful, blue-eyed, half dilute torbie-co calico lynx torbie (that lot all came from a discussion of her gorgeous coat colors) girl. She is absolutely following Tommy around in heaven. 🙂
Probably simpler to call her a torbie point with white.
I know it. I was being whimsical/nostalgic.
Lovely tribute. I know you will miss this beautiful and sassy girl.
So many tears. She missed her pal… Glad they are together now. <3
She was lucky to have a home that let her be herself on her own terms. And she was so happy with Tommy!
I start my morning everyday by reading your blog and my heart aches for you over your loss of Stinkerbelle. I really do believe that she went to be with her Tommy. May the days ahead get easier for you and Fred.
I’m so sorry! Stinkerbelle was such a beautiful girl. I was thinking also that she must now be with her Tommy again. Thanks for giving her a home where she could be herself. Hugs and thoughts to you and Fred.
So sorry…but she is at the Rainbow Bridge with Tommy. I always thought she retained a bit of the feral in her, and sometimes it can cause a cat to be standoffish. But she had a FANTASTIC life, thanks to you, Fred & Tommy. ((((Hugs))))
I’m so sorry to hear of Stinkerbelle’s passing, please accept my sincere condolences. It’s never easy losing a family member, but I hope that you can take comfort from the fact that you gave her a wonderful home, and that she’s now with her beloved Tommmy again.
she was only NINE?? what the heck? OH, I am SO very sorry for this crushing loss. At least it does sound as if it was peaceful for her, if she was still curled up. Oh, so sad. I am so sorry for the loss of this most beautiful girl. She and tommy can play together again now.
I found the nine shocking, also. Seizes the heart…sooo soootoo soon!!!
Me too… my two cats are only 8! I can’t imagine losing them so young!
Beautiful eulogy, Robyn. My thoughts are with the Crooked Acres family.
Crying at work. So very sorry for you and Fred, but comforted knowing she’s making the eyes of lurv at her Tommy once again.
If you truly loves cats, then you know you have to love them on their terms, not yours. And Stinkerbelle was clearly loved on her own terms! And I know that she is with her beloved Tommy again. Hugs and purrs to you and Fred.
I’m so very sorry for your loss. I love how you accepted her as she was and loved her because of it, not in spite of it. (I had a cat like that once…he wasn’t like Stinkerbelle but he was definitely a character.) I’ll miss hearing about her.
as soon as I saw Fred had posted a portrait of one of the Permanent residents, I thought “oh, shit, not another one, they’ve lost too many so quickly” and as soon as it clicked that it was Stinkerbelle, I thought “she died of a broken heart” and “she’s off to be with her Tommy.” Both thoughts are still with me today.
You gotta admit, she probably got some headaches from those seriously long-distance eyes of lure she was having to make! So much better close up.
Joyce C.
Lurve not lure. Ugh, autocorrect!
Oh, goodness. Rest in peace, beautiful girl. Our thoughts are with you & Fred.
So sorry about Stinkerbelle. It is always too soon when they go. My thoughts are with you and Fred.
Such a beautiful tribute to a beautiful cat…thank you, Robyn, for sharing.
They always leave such a hole in our hearts when they leave us. You’re in our thoughts…may it be a good long time before any more tributes are shared!
Extra happy that there are diversions in the foster room just now.
I only discovered this place a year or so ago, but it quickly became one of my go-to sites. I’m coming out of lurkdom to express my sincere sympathies on the loss of the beautiful and unique Stinkerbelle. It’s difficult enough to deal with one such loss, but I’ve been reading long enough to know that you’d experienced numerous such losses last year. I’m very sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Y’all are in my thoughts.
Hugs to you all! I am so sorry for your loss.
“she can spend the rest of eternity following him around and giving him the Eyes of Love™.”
oh great, my eyes are leaking again..
So so sorry for you and Fred. Stinkerbelle will definitely be missed. I’m with everyone else, she’s with her Tommy and all is serene in her world now. They made such a beautiful pair. ((((hugs))))
I’m so sorry to hear about Stinkerbelle. I loved that you kept a house feral and allowed her to live with you on her own terms. You were good to her, and she gave you her imperious beauty in return.
My condolences on your loss.
She will be missed. {{{hugs}}}
My heart is breaking for you and Fred !!! Stinkerbelle was as all kitties are “ONE OF A KIND” ! Tommy was calling her and waiting for her to come home to him. You gave her such a wonderful life and many years longer than if she were feral out in the big scary world. This a wonderful tribute to her.
Sending you both love and hugs.
I’m so sorry, Robyn and Fred. Goodbye Stinkerbelle, beautiful, cranky girl. It makes me smile to know that she’s once again with her beloved Tommy.
I read just about the whole post and didn’t cry, but the last paragraph got me. I’m going to agree with the folks who have said that Stinkerbelle waited for Tommy to come back and once she realized he wasn’t, she went to him.
Deepest Sympathy for your loss. It’s never easy to lose a family member. Love to all at Crooked Acres.
I did the same thing MsDarkstar.
She went to her Tommy.
Robyn – you write beautifully – serious or humorous. The love that you have for all your fur-sweeties shows. I am so sorry about Stinkerbelle. I will always think of her in that last picture…looking lovingly at her Tommy. RIP beautiful girl.
I saw this on FB and sent my condolences then, but I will do it again. ((hugs)) to you and the Crooked Acres gang. Some did not know her for long, but I am positive that she touched ALL the lives that crossed her path. I hope the little ones will help you find some comfort.
Wow, she so mastered the Ears of Annoyance as a young kitten. She had achieved sensei level of disproval.
I love that you placed her next to her Tommy. That’s where she always wanted to be.
I am so sorry for the loss of Stinkerbelle. I’m glad she is with her Tommy.
I’m not crying..there must be dust in the air..
So sorry to hear about Stinkerbelle. RIP littleone with your furrever friendx
I am so sorry. My first thought was sorrow for you and Fred. Then I thought that now she is with Tommy. I really do believe she died of a broken heart. But now that heart is healed since she is with Tommy again. You gave her a safe and welcome home and there she found her love. I am sorry she had to leave you but it seems it was quick and easy. Part of me is happy she is with Tommy again. My sympathies to you both.
Yes, the fact she’s with her Tommy now, and that he was there to greet her does make her passing a bit easier (made me sniffle!). She was a beautiful girl, with a personality all her own, and that’s what made her special.
Rest in peace on a big comfy kitchen cupboard, with your Tommy, forever.
I did see the notice on facebook and commented there. My heart breaks for you all. It does sound like she went peacefully in her sleep to her Tommy’s side, which is maybe the closest part to good in losing a much loved kitty. Never easy though, is it? I am sorry. Sending love and hugs to all of you, kitties, humans and the rest of the critters.
Stinkerbelle was such a special kitty – bless you for loving her as she was, and giving her safe space.
You gave her a wonderful life, and now she is with her Tommy and together they are carrying the love they knew from you as their spirits continue on their journey.
I trust you and Fred are snorgling kittens – they can help heal grieving hearts…
Webbthistle I love what you wrote about Stinkerbelle and Tommy carrying the love they had from Robyn and Fred !!! A perfect way to think of them !! Also a wonderful way for all of us to think of the fur babies we have all lost.
Loved getting to see the pictures of her and Tommy. You picked the perfect place to lay her to rest. So sorry you are dealing with this again. Rest easy, Miss Stinkerbelle and hugs to everyone at Crooked Acres.
Lovely Stinkerbelle. She’s always held a special place in my heart as I too had an Angry Beauty who was extra extra special because of it. Your tribute is exquisite, Robyn; I know you and Fred must be completely heartbroken but I am also glad that there’s some solace that she really has gone to be with her Tommy. That last photo says it all. May we all be so lucky to know such love in our lives. Rest in peace beautiful girl, and rest happy with your beloved Tommy with you, always and forever.
Like many others, my first thought upon seeing Fred’s post was that the gorgeous Miss Stinkerbelle had died of a broken heart. She was a beautiful girl, and I’m so sorry for your loss. She lived and loved on her own terms, and I only hope that I can be as lucky when I go as she appears to have been.
Also, I adore what appears to be her one vivid pink nail cap in that one photo–so punk, and so Stinkerbelle. (I’m also amazed that you were able to get it on her.)
Robyn & Fred- I’m so sorry for your loss. I can only reiterate what others have said: you gave her a wonderful home, allowed her to be herself, and loved her for who she was. And that’s all anyone can really ask for.
Oh no, poor Stinkerbelle! I’m so sorry for you and Fred. That was a beautiful and moving tribute.
So sorry to hear about Stinkerbelle, I couldn’t get over the shock until today. I am glad that she is now beside her beloved Tommy for the rest of eternity. She waited and waited for him to come home and decided to go looking for him. A broken heart is a terrible thing. My thoughts and prayers are with ya’ll, Robyn, Fred and rest of Crooked Acres gang. Robyn, please give everyone around there an extra hug from us, Tuffy, Red, Sam, Charlie and myself (Mom).