Hi, Charlie's "mom" here. Many, many thanks for all of your kind words. Charlie meant everything to me, and seeing her here as Cat of the Day -- and reading such beautiful responses -- is such a wonderful tribute to her life. I've read this site for years (it restores my faith in humanity after reading the news every morning...), and for years I've meant to nominate her. So, thank you again.

For those who've asked: I'm a historian, and my first book is a history of international air travel: "Empire of the Air: Aviation and the American Ascendancy." It will be published in fall 2013. Charlie was my faithful companion through years of mostly solitary research and writing. As the photo shows, she liked to sleep on my desk next to, or on, my computer; I would often leave for a few moments to find dafahfdashdfaslkdjfhkalhflkajfaldfhlajksadklfh or such on my screen, which she had inadvertently typed! She is thanked in my book's acknowledgments, as she played such an important, unique role in my life as I researched and wrote it. She was a little white and calico ball of joy, and I am so grateful that her memory is preserved here.