Rex-N-Fx Midnight Summer's Dream



Summer was our very first Devon, she was born in September 1996 at Rex-N-Fx cattery, Carole Goodwin was the breeder. We found her through an Ad in Cat Fancy magazine. She was so kind to let us visit her home often with my rambunctious sons to see how they would do allergy wise. Finally a cat we could have to love and live with us as part of our family.

My boys and I were so excited anticipating her arrival to our home in a few months. The day I brought her home the boys were still in school. I did not tell them when I picked them up, just that there was a surprise waiting for them at home. The looks on their faces priceless! They loved her so much. She followed them everywhere, helped with their homework, especially making sure to chew the edges, and steal pencils! She really took to Justin. He had this stuffed letter J on his pillow. When he went to school she would go get it drag it down the stairs wrestle with it, and then sleep with it until he came home. Each night when Michael got home she played with him, she saw him as top cat. She would shoulder jump him and get him to wrestle and let her jump in the air really high playing with him. She liked it if you let a balloon float to the ceiling and have a bell at the end of the string, and her trick was to jump up grab the bell and pull it to the ground just to let it go back up so she could do it again.

Each night she slept on my pillow kissing my neck, and purring in my ear. Michael made her a great cat tree, and she had tons of toys. But her most favorite was her people. She liked to be carried around in the shirt you were wearing, or a jacket, or house coat. She loved playing in the forts with my sons. Which were sleeping bags, and blankets stretched over chairs and tables. She was always by their side. She even went to school for show and tell. She truly loved the attention everyone gave her. She went for walks on a harness and leash out front and in the back yard. Just so she could be with her best buddies my sons.

In February 1998 she first went to bed with Travis, then Justin. She followed me to my room kissed me and purred. Then she went downstairs to say good night to Michael, looking back now she was saying goodbye to all of us. A few minutes later she went to have a bit of a snack and then that was it she was gone, no warning. She suffered an arrhythmia, due to her liver not being able to filter out toxins from her spay 6 months prior. We never knew anything was wrong with her.

She was a heart kitty, and as I write this years later the tears still well up and begin to fall. We were all devastated it was just so sad. She had only been here for such a short time.

Things happen for a reason, though at the time you are not quite sure why. Looking back at it, if things had been different we would have never known Velvet and Chiffon. Through them a friendship that means so much to me developed with Carole. Before that we were just aquaintances, and probably would not have had reason to be more than that. Ever since Summer left us, and got her wings I still feel her presence around us. I know for a fact she plays with Chiffon, Velvet and Alura. They see her, you might think I am nuts, but it is the look in their eyes, and the bursts and tumbling across the room as they wrestle and play with a spirit. She comes and goes, and my sons tell me sometimes they wake at night and feel her sleeping next to them as do I.

She will always be in our hearts, and forever watching over us. May she dance through rainbows drift above the clouds and have as many turkey treats as her heart desires.

We miss you Summer

Devon Rex by the Sea