We have no photos of Tinker Bell. She was Daisy’s daughter and Arlene’s sister. She had long hair and was all white. Beautiful and sweet.
Just prior to our wedding the next-door neighbor came home from the grocery store. They left their trunk open while unloading groceries and as far as we can tell she jumped in. They didn’t notice her when they closed the trunk. Shortly after that, they traveled about 8 miles to the other side of the county and opened the trunk. Of course, Tinker Bell bailed out and ran off.
We finally put the pieces together and went looking for her. Someone from that area said that they thought there as a dead white cat on the highway and it had been removed. We never found her.
Tragic is what comes to mind.
Arlene
Arlene is Daisy’s daughter. This is the only photo we have of her.
Daisy’s other children that survived (Thackery Binx and Tinker Bell) all became loving and affectionate pets. Not so Arlene. She remained distant and feral until she died. Occasionally and under the right circumstances she could be petted, but only rarely. She almost never left her mother’s side. After her mother’s disappearance she seemed even more lost and aloof.
One time we managed to nab her and stuff her into a pet taxi and take her to the vet for shots and a checkup. That was probably 5 or 6 years ago when she was 9 or 10 years old.
Two years ago she became lethargic and wouldn’t eat. When she was so sick we could get hands on her we took her to the vet. She had advanced diabetes and was for all pratical purposes untreatable. Through tears and whispered farewells we said our goodbyes as she went to sleep.
We will always miss her.
Daisy
Now for a trip down memory lane. This is Daisy. She first showed up here in November of 1994. My wife could tell she had had kittens so she started feeding her. She promptly relocated her 5 kittens to here. One black one just disappeared. Abigail, colored like her mother, didn’t make it through the winter. That left Thackery Binx, Tinker Bell and Arlene. Thackery is still around. More on them later.
Daisy was just an absolute sweetheart. She and what was left of her brood were here when I arrived in 1997. She was one of those cats that you instantly loved because her disposition dictated it. Her and Arlene were inseparable and so close.
She disappeared suddenly in 2005 and we never saw her again. The prevailing theory is she jumped the fence into the field behind us and the neighbor’s dog nailed her. I went looking for fur, blood, anything that would tell us what happened. Nothing. She was and is still sorely missed.
Cassie
This is Cassie. She has been, to say the least, one of the more interesting additions to our household.
We brought her home in July of 2007. There was a, er, situation here in northern Utah. An animal sanctuary was being run by a woman that turned out to be a hoarder. By the time her husband turned her in, she had about 120 cats and 40 dogs. My wife and I were asked by NMHPU (utahpets.org) to go help with the cleanup. The owner had taken a few cats and dogs and fled to another small town. What she left behind was appalling. Long story short, over 30 cats had to be put down due to disease. In the end, homes were found for all thanks to NMHPU.
During the cleanup operation, everytime I’d bend over to scoop a litter box, Cassie would jump on my back. I couldn’t help but be drawn to her. So I announced that I was saving one cat and brought her home. She was so loving! As it turned out she was in heat. We had her spayed and the cat that came home from the vet definitely was not the same cat we dropped off.
She hissed and spit at everything that moved. She’s mellowed out, but only slightly. You still don’t want to get on her bad side and she is not, repeat not a kid’s cat.
Oh, and she still jumps on my back when I scoop potties.
As of today, Cassie’s not feeling just right. She’s not her hissy self. We’ll take her to the vet tomorrow.
Update: She had some kind of respiratory infection. Some antibiotics and she’s her old hissy self. Whew!
Artemus
Meet Artie. He is the sweetest, most loving little boy you could ever meet. He came to us two years ago when the neighbor kids knocked on our door and said they found him running around the neighborhood. It turned out he was part of a litter in the next cul-de-sac. The “owners” didn’t much care what they did or where they went. So we just kept him.
When we took Artie to the vet for all the usual pre-ownership events (shots, spay/neuter, blood work), someone made an accidental stray mark on the paper “near” the box that indicated we wanted him declawed. So they proceeded to amputate his front claws before they realized the mistake. You can’t believe how mad we were. The vet said we weren’t going to be charged for the de-clawing. After we cooled down and got him home, we realized everyone makes mistakes. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh!!!
He is so naive about leaving the yard and venturing out around the neighborhood. All he wants to do is jump the fence and find the next fence to jump. We’re positive he wouldn’t have sense enough to come home, so he goes out when we’re around to watch him. You might have a differing view on that.
When I’m at the computer, he loves to jump up on my shoulders and crawl around and nestle in my arms for a nap. I don’t get much work done when that happens.
