I couldn't bring myself to post this sooner, as it's been such a shock. Katie and Cricket both collapsed suddenly on Friday and died of liver failure on Saturday. Kym and Jas rushed them to the vet and did everything possible, but the girls slipped away. The vet just doesn't know what happened. None of the other cats--mine or the Goodnows'--seem to be affected. It's a heartbreaking mystery.
Katie
My beautiful Katie was about nine years old. She adopted me when she was about a year old. She tore a hole in the screen door to the back porch and moved right in. And she brought the family. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a pretty longhaired tuxie and five kittens curled up in a chair!
Katie's meow sounded more like a quack--something like "Mwat." She loved to cuddle with me or with one of the other cats, usually Hagrid or Lily. I'll miss her sprawling on top of me to sleep, and I'll miss her licking my face in the mornings. I'll miss her graceful presence in my life.
Cricket
I found Cricket when she was a kitten. She was playing in my yard and didn't want much to do with me until I brought out some food. That was all it took to win her over.
Cricket had feline hyperesthesia, which caused her to attack her tail. She chewed it so badly that it finally had to be amputated. The vet hoped that giving her antidepressants would cause her to leave the tail alone, but they didn't work--and she gained a lot of weight while she was taking them.
She was my pudgy little enforcer, who prowled the house slapping anyone who annoyed her (Hagrid was a frequent target). But she was so very affectionate with me. She loved her chin scritchies. I adored her sweet little face, her pink-and-black nose, her mitten paws (she and Katie were both polydactyls). Cricket was eight years old.
I will miss you always, my darling girls. I hope both of you know how much I loved you. Please look for a brown tabby named Keke at the RB--she's been waiting for more than 13 years, so she'll show you around.
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