A tribute to Frankie

On arriving back from Tunisia, we seemed to bring a bit of warm weather with us. But it was rather short lived unfortunately. Gerard had the Thursday off and he went to fetch Frankie from the kennels that morning. Frankie seemed pleased to see us but avoided us for a while. She seemed to be sulking with us for having left her for a week.
Gerard went back to work on the Friday.
The weekend was a quiet one where I caught up with washing etc. and we sat around watching tv most of the time.
On Sunday night I had 5 little boys spend the night on the playroom floor in a makeshift house, made with blankets as the roof which was hung between Steven's football game and the table tennis table. Their carpets that they had got in Tunisia were put on the floor. And Frankie was held hostage and made to sleep with them.
On the Monday, Robert started at his week of Ferienspiele which is Holiday games. I took him off to the car park outside Bell area, to find a whole lot of children waiting in groups and some with their parents looking on. I only recognised one woman, whose younger son knew Steven. Poor Robert didn't know anyone there. At this point, I could have easily just put him in the car and gone home. I might just add at this point, that it was a miserable day and flipping cold. Anyway, they called out the kids name and they were put into groups. They then set off to Angenrod where I would later pick him up.
They had some really fun things for the kids to do in their week. Robert went to Frankfurt the very next day where they went on the skytrain and saw things that we have never done.
We noticed during this week that Frankie was still moping around and not eating very well. She did however, still catch two mice and leave them at our front door as a gift to us.
On Thursday Gerard took Frankie off to the vet as we just felt that she wasn't herself at all. Gerard came back with really bad news. The vet here in Alsfeld had looked at her and found her dehydrated and that her kidneys had failed. Her stomach seemed to be filled with water. From what Gerard said, it seemed that they did not have much hope for our poor kitty.
They suggested that we could take her through to another vet in Marburg for another opinion. The appointment was set for 6.00pm
I spent a lot of my afternoon with her, just stroking her and talking to her. She just purred and purred.
When Gerard came to take her, I told the kids to say goodbye to her. Oh what a sad time this was.
Gerard phoned from the vets with the sad news that Frankie had a cancerous tumour which was inoperable. This tumour was what was causing her not to eat. The vet felt that if he tried treatment, it would only prolong her life by a few days. Poor Gerard had to make the traumatic decision on his "baby's" life.
We were all devastated by Frankie's death.

I found this pets prayers which I think is appropriate.

A Pets Prayer
If it should be, that I grow frail and weak,And pain should keep me from my sleep,Then, you must do what must be done
For this, the last battle, can't be won.Don't let your grief stay your hand, For this day more than the rest,Your love and friendship stand the test.We've had so many years,What is to come can hold no fear.You'd not want me to suffer, so
When the time comes, please let me go. Take me where my needs they'll tend,Only, stay with me to the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.I know in time you'll see it is a kindness you do for me
Although my tail its last has waved,From pain and suffering I've been saved. Don't grieve it should be you who this thing decides to do.We've been so close, we two, these years,Don't let your heart hold tears.SMILE, FOR WE WALKED TOGETHER FOR A WHILE.