Cat: Peaches (Diluted Tortie) – San Francisco, CA (05/10/1996 – 07/19/2007)

She was the best.  Peaches was the one that I thought wouldn’t need me, but she did.

She would butt heads with me, just like a big lion or tiger.

When I brought her home from the SPCA and started calling her Peaches, she would look at me like I was nuts and couldn’t be calling HER Peaches.

She also always had to have the last word and never learned the meaning of the word shut up.  Her favorite food was cantaloupe, but it had to be just ripe or she wouldn’t eat it.

I miss her so much and will always wish she were still here.

Animals are a gift.  And she was the best.

Cat: Pickles – Carson City, NV (04/1993 – 09/08/2009)

Pickles was our Warrior Hunter! He could catch anything on land in the waters or up in the sky – from mice to bats.

As fierce as of a hunter as he was, Pickles was a lover every night sitting on my husbands chest with paws wrapped around his neck and giving him kisses.

Pickles loved to go on walks, hang it with the horses and play with dogs.

I will miss his gentle purrs and his company in the mornings. We love you pickles!

Cat: Katrina – Sacramento, CA (1989 – 12/31/2008)

My Beloved Katrina, a domestic short hair, was the most intelligent, wise, special cat I could have ever hoped to know.

And I had earnestly hoped and wished for a gray cat for exactly one year prior to rescuing Katrina. I would soon learn that such wishes can be unexpectedly granted. Thank God!

My sister and I rescued her on a hot night in May 1990, she had been abandoned at a gas station, locked inside a small carrier and set next to the dumpster. I had no idea how long she’d been there.

She was around six-seven months old and very pregnant. Once I got her home I could not believe the sight of her stepping out of her carrier for the first time. It was like the first time we looked in each others eyes we said, “Hello, I love you.”

She ate and drank ravenously. I made her a bed in my bedroom and she chose the linen closet in my bathroom to have her kittens the next week.

Katrina’s favorite place to be was riding around the house on my left shoulder wherever I went, keeping me company whatever I was doing. She had a funny habit of sleeping in the curve made by my side (on my ribs and hip) at night, and later on my pillow.

She was so smart she understood everything I said to her. The years began to fly by, and always Katrina was there making my life a comfort with her presence. I could feel her love and attachment to me. She loved to purr as I held her like a baby in my arms. She loved her toys and her adopted brother PC.

She always sat like the Sphynx and I would call her ‘Sphynx kitty’, which she would take as a sincere compliment. When I had homework to do, she always came to sit on the table and quietly contemplate with me. She’d gently grab at my pencil and lounge in my open books and look up at me calmly.

Whenever I called her name she would answer me with her special ‘maow’. She was dainty and petite with a serene dignity, always in place. And she had such a sweet disposition, affectionate and devoted to me. There is a lifetime of memories so long I could fill a book.

Her kidneys began to fail in 2008. I did not know how I’d live without her. The vet assured me that Katrina was not in pain, so we worked at having more time. More precious time. I gave her fluids under her skin daily and fed her every few hours by hand. She was so strong and fought so hard to stay.

When the day came we both knew. It was one of the saddest days of my life, I knew I had to let her go. I had envisioned celebrating New Year’s with her, but it was not to be. She needed to be set free, it was time for her to fly.

The days since have been very sad, home is not home without Katrina to come home to. I sit and think about the pain and joy life has to offer, the love and loss. It seems you cannot have one without the other. For the blessings Katrina brought to me, I am eternally grateful.

While others were out celebrating the new year, I was at home tearfully praying for Katrina’s soul to transition quickly and easily. I gave thanks for being the one to love her.

She was so very wise, my soul mate Katrina. The best cat in the world. She was so easy to love. She has enriched my life and I have beautiful memories of her to cherish.

I know she has earned her wings and is flying in Heaven. When I die, I believe our souls will meet again, and the souls of all the animals I have loved will gather with us, and we will all fly together forever.

My Darling Katrina, I love you always and forever.