In Memory of Bella

TW: Pet loss.

In Memory of Bella

Last Tuesday, Bella crossed the rainbow bridge. I've added some photos of her long, happy life at the end of this blog for you to have a look at. This post is dedicated to her memory.

Bella was a rescue from the SPCA in Christchurch. She came to us following the passing of our cat Silver, as the house felt too empty without a little companion following us around. She was acting silly, and she picked us - you always want an animal who is going to pick you to take them home with you.

Bella was basically my sister and went through high school with me, my whole university career, and lots of my adult life. She was such a silly kitty cat. She would wake me up at 5 AM wanting to get fed, so she would pull my hair out, scratch on the wall until the paint came off, throw things around the room until I woke up and fed her, then I'd be wide awake, and she would go right back to sleep LOL. She also liked to bring in baby birds and butterflies as presents for us (sometimes alive and sometimes d*ad). I couldn't always save them.

During the lockdowns, she would sit on my desk while I marked students' essays, haha. She also survived having a BB b*llet in her neck since she was a kitten. She was found abandoned in a park, and it wasn't until 2025 that she started having any health problems from said b*llet. I used to joke that she was immortal.

She has had a wonderful life for 17 years. She even ran away for a week following the earthquakes in 2011. But don't worry, she came back as chill as ever - as if nothing had even happened. Typical cat behaviour if you ask me. And don't worry, she was the most spoiled cat ever. Always getting treats for doing "upsies" - a word Benji also knows (for Bella, it means to stand on her hind legs as a trick, for Benji, it means to go up the stairs).

Sometimes I feel very guilty for moving overseas, but I feel very fortunate to have seen her every time I visited home. She even liked Luke and sat on his lap (and she wasn't a cuddly cat). Occasionally, she would sleep on my bed in CHCH. The times that Luke and I have visited my home, Bella slept on the bed with us (I don't know if it's because she missed me or because Mum gave up her room for us LOL).

Bella probably would have hated Benji, but Benji hasn't left my side the past few days because I think animals just know. Ironically, Benji loves cats, so I reckon if they ever met, they'd have a silly brother-sister relationship. But I imagine that Bella would swipe him a lot. All I can think of here is "swiper no swipping" from Dora the Explorer (is that still on? I feel like now that I'm 30, I'm not up with anything anymore).

Love you lots, Bella Ella. I hope the rainbow bridge has unlimited temptation treats, tuna, and an endless supply of bugs and birds to chase around. Thank you for your years of unconditional love to my mum and me. I hope you watch over mum and send her a new pet when she's ready.

Rest in peace, little lady (2009 - 2026).

PS: If you can, rescue an animal. It's the best. Lots of work, but worth it.

Some photos of Bella.