If "All's well that ends well"...

...then what trite saying do you give when things don't end well??

Not very long ago we gave up our kitty Dido. A number of reasons prompted this change, primarily the discovery of Amelia's allergy to cats. But continued "hostility" and schizophrenic behavior was also common (the first vet's office named her "Hyde" - as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr.).

We endured for years with her in a cooped up state. But finally, with the girls getting older, with Addysen not as careful as Amelia, and in general frustration with her behavior, we gave her up. Or, more accurately, we found long-term care for her at a rescue facility in a less densely populated area.

It was a sad day at the time, but we had grand dreams of her playing, running, climbing trees, bothering cows, and chasing birds. I'm sure she did.

On a hunch yesterday, I emailed the caretaker just for an update. They had agreed to never contact us about her, but had also agreed to provide updates, as appropriate, when we asked. So it saddened us greatly to hear back today that Dido's cat got on the roof (okay, old joke).

In all seriousness, she regrettably got in a tangle with a much larger animal, and she lost. It may have been a wild dog (we didn't suggest this to Amelia - we posited it was a wolf or coyote - she's stuck on the idea that it was a coyote, I think only because it's such a fun word to say). And the caretaker stated her surprise, thinking Dido would be less likely to meet such an end, as there were numerous, smaller cats at this place.

But knowing Dido, if she didn't instigate the fight, she definitely didn't back down. She was one to hiss, scratch, and chase after unknown creatures. In fact, one day she attacked our window at an attempt to get a stray cat wandering in our backyard. So although we know she was out in the country where she could be free, and she probably went down swinging (acting in her true nature), we've lost a little part of our family in a very sad sort of way.

All's well that ends well. In this case, we'll just say that we have fond memories, and we can be thankful that it wasn't a protracted kitty disease or a vehicle that led to her death. We told Amelia that when we drive by this area, we can blow a kiss and remember how much we loved Dido, and how much we still miss her.