Squirrel or Hawk

"Why does the life of the squirrel matter more to you than the life of the hawk?"

"Because I know the squirrel. I don't know the hawk."

                                                    --T. Kat Darcy

Missing Striper

The other night, I opened the front door and Striper ran into the house. Too bad it was only a dream. Little Striper has been gone since November. I believe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got dumped somewhere as a feral cat. I posted his info on Pawboost and various FB pages for lost cats, in addition to visiting numerous animal shelters and posting flyers. I've checked out a number of Striper sightings, but they turned out to be similar-looking cats, not my Striper. It is torture not knowing where he is; there is no closure. I continue to hope that I shall get him back. It is possible that a cat colony caretaker is feeding him; perhaps Striper landed in someone's home. I just don't know. But I do believe that someone knows Striper's whereabouts, and someday I hope to see him again.

Thank You, Veronica!

Last week, my next door neighbor showed up at my door with beautiful flowers; the delivery person could not drive down my snow-covered driveway, so she asked him to give me the bouquet. Well, my first thought was that these flowers were sent because I had lost Yoda, but I couldn't imagine who would have sent them. What a nice surprise to receive flowers, totally unexpected, from a person I'd spoken to briefly, cancelling Yoda's prescription cat food delivery. It really made my day! Thank you, Veronica, for your thoughtfulness.

Good-bye, Yoda

Two weeks ago, on January 24, 2019, I said good-bye to my black cat Yoda, who left me with many wonderful memories. Three days earlier, the vet had given Yoda 1-4 months, which, needless to say, was heartbreaking. But I never expected Yoda to decline so very rapidly, especially since he had been eating well and was active until the end. There's an emptiness in the house without Yoda, my friendly boy, who was usually the first to welcome other cats into our household through the years.

Good-bye, Merlot

On September 27, 2018, I said good-bye to Merlot, a black-and-white tuxedo cat. She was the sweetest cat imaginable. Not once did I ever hear her hiss. And she was the only cat I've ever been able to bathe without fear of being scratched; in fact, she took great care not to scratch me, even though, like most cats, she disliked water. She was a real sweetheart, brought here by her best feline friend, Striper.

Good-bye, Rebel

My beloved dog, Rebel, passed away peacefully at home on November 11, 2017. Rebel was my loyal companion for nearly 14 years. There are no words to describe my grief.

Good-bye, Oprah

My sweet tortoiseshell cat, Oprah, died from a poisonous spider bite on Columbus Day, Oct. 9, 2017. I managed to kill the widow spider, but my Oprah was already gone. She just happened to pick the wrong spot to sleep for the night; apparently, Oprah was in the spider's way, when the arachnid decided she wanted out of the floor vent. What terrible luck for my sweet girl! I was simply horrified.