This page is in memory of all my past kitty cats who are no longer with us in body but whose spirits will linger forever. Each was special in his own way and is sadly missed.
Big
Blackie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge about 8 years ago after a long
and fulfilling life as the ultimate alley cat. The children found him
hiding in the bushes when he was about 5 months old, a skinny, frightened, black
and white kitten. Of course they brought him home and of course he stayed,
but the first 5 months of his life had a lasting effect on his personality and
he never accepted the idea of indoor life. That is until we moved to a new
neighborhood and I was afraid that he would try to return to his old haunts if
allowed outside. At this time he was approximately 12 years old and I
guess he was getting tired and ready for a change in lifestyle. At
any rate, he settled down to the sedentary existence and lived out the last 6 years
of his life as a pampered house cat, and he loved it! Blackie, we miss
you.
Chloe
was our first calico cat. Kenny and I had both been wanting to get one
and, low and behold, Chloe showed up in our local pet store. Chloe is hard
to write about because, while sweet, she has absolutely no personality.
She's just there. So until she does something to make herself stand out,
this is her bio. Little Cloe crossed the Rainbow Bridge in November,
2003, after
a very brief illness.
Beany
is another one of our senior kitties. She started life as a barn cat but
had the good fortune to stumble upon my youngest daughter one beautiful spring
day and the rest is history. Today Beany does just about nothing except eat
and sleep, but she certainly enjoys both of these pastimes. And when she
is awake she likes to watch the birds and other critters outside our windows and
remember her days in the wild. She remains convinced that she could still
catch her dinner if necessary. I doubt it. Near the ripe old age of
17 Beany crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join her housemates and they wait to
welcome the rest of us.
Randy
is the senior kitty at our house. He arrived about 17 years ago when, in a
weak moment, I told my youngest daughter that she could get a cat. A quick
scan of the newspaper produced a plethora of pets in need of adoption.
Randy was the one selected. He has 6 toes on each front paw that truly
resemble little mittens. To say that Randy has a sweet disposition would
be a lie. In fact, he is downright psychotic! But if you respect his
idiosyncrasies and treat him accordingly, he is loving. It's just that
everything must be on
his terms. He adores people but is not particularly fond of other cats, a
big disadvantage in a 13 cat household. Seventeen years
have passed since Randy joined our family. The child who just had to have
a pet has moved on and the cat remains. Does that surprise anyone?
Randy passed over the Rainbow Bridge in 2003 and is sadly missed.
Valmont
is one of two brothers that we got from the local pet store about 10 years
ago. We had visions of an orange cat like Garfield but somehow that's not
what we got. Val is fat like Garfield but he is about the biggest coward
in our house. If we have company this cat is nowhere to be seen. If
you really must get him he will usually be found lurking under the stove or
huddled far in the back of one of our kitty condos. Though Val is short on
courage he is long on affection. Val is a lover. He snuggles up
to me every night and the look in his eyes is nothing short of adoration.
It's impossible not to love him back. Val's life was way too short, he
crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2002.
Winny
is the perpetual adolescent in this house. Actually, he's a couple of cards
short of a full deck, but what he lacks in IQ he makes up for in
disposition. Winny loves to play, eat, and do all the things that young
kittens do except he's 11 years old. He came from the pet store where he
remained up for adoption for 3 weeks while the other 6 cats in the cages found
owners. Being a sucker where cats are concerned, I took him home when I
realized his situation. He was worth it as he keeps the other cats young.
Winny died of renal failure last year and now waits for us over the Rainbow
Bridge.
Spooky
is the neurotic cat in our household. She came to us via the Humane
Society and had probably been abused as a youngster. It took months before
she ever came out from under the furniture and it was years more until we could
hold her. She still is nervous if you approach her from above. One
of Spooky's most unusual quirks is her propensity to pee in holes! This
can be a heater vent, sink drain, stove burner, or any other available
opening. About once a month she performs this bizarre act and we are in a
constant state of alert to prevent it's occurrence. I think she would be a
natural for training to use the toilet but, alas, there is no pot in the cat
room. Aside from this strange urinating behavior Spooky is
shy, gentle and loving. So we put up with her neuroticism and remain ever
vigilant for uncovered holes. Spooky passed over the Rainbow Bridge last
year.
