eet our ats! 

(The Four Bad Cats -- the brattiest cats in the world)

We're leaving this page up as a memorial to our kitties.

Read about our "next generation" kitty family.

It's true! These little girls are very bad. They scratch where they shouldn't, jump on the kitchen counter, walk all over us as we sleep, plop themselves down on the clean laundry, and play catch with their food. If we're trying to work at the computer, they walk across the keyboard to sit on the mousepad. They sleep on our stomachs or on the pillow with their faces (if we're lucky!) in our faces. We're their unpaid hired help: we feed them, clean up after them, take them to the vet, give them catnip, and pet them endlessly. Sometimes we call them Stinkerbell and Ratface, and are certain they're from another planet. But just when we're ready to send them back, one of them will nestle into our lap, look up at us, and start to purr. Oh, well, what can we do? Guess we'll just have to keep them! Meet each of these bratty cats below!

These drawings look a lot like the kitties,
and they seem to capture their catsonalities as well :-)

There's a link to their actual photos at the end.

Mitsy

September 1984 to September 12, 2002

Mitsy, as the oldest kitty in the household, is the cat we rely on to keep order among the other cats. She tries to be dignified but she's just a playful kitten at heart. Mitsy thinks the tiger kitties (see Sasha & Sukey) are the most annoying creatures on earth! Mitsy, who's already survived abandonment, bladder stones, a pre-cancerous tumour, and near-fatal lipidosis, is now battling Graves' disease. She has lost a lot of weight, and hates taking her medicine, but we're hoping she'll pull through and be with us for a while longer.

Birthday: September, 1984
Age: Forever 18 years and one week old
Weight: 5 pounds/2.25kg
Colouring: Grey tuxedo with huge multi-coloured eyes (blue, green, and gold)
Favourite food: Warm milk, baby food
Household position: Former alpha cat, she still commands respect
Favourite place to sleep: On a bed pillow with her tail in someone's face
Favourite pasttime: Playing with her mechanical mouse-go-round, helping me work on the computer ;-)
Nicknames: Mitsy-Muttsy, Buttsy
How we got her: Mitsy came to us on a freezing cold February day when she was about six months old. She walked up to our front door and started to cry. We took her in and fed her (she was very hungry) and then decided to keep her. Since we were living near a woods at the time, we think someone dumped her :-(, as she was very friendly and clean -- clearly a house cat, not a stray.
September 12, 2002: We were sure that Mitsy, although the eldest of our kitties, would outlive the rest of them through sheer will power. After all, she had been through so much and survived. But she never regained all her weight after the lipidosis, and the hyperthyroidism was definitely taking its toll. Mitsy slept with us every night, usually going to eat, drink, or take care of business and then returning in the wee hours. This morning she didn't return; it was time for her to give up her battle. She awaits us now at the Rainbow Bridge. 

Sasha

September 1985 to August 9, 2003

Sasha is cute and tiny, but looks are deceiving: She is the feline monster of the universe! If there is any trouble to be made, Sasha will be there making it. Her favourite form of terror is jumping from the top of the armoire onto a sleeping person below. Lately she has taken to eating her meals on the kitchen counter, which is just as well -- it keeps her from chasing off the other kitties who want to eat! Sasha also has Graves' disease and is even worse about taking medicine than Mitsy. But that was to be expected ;-).

Birthday: September, 1985
Age: Forever 17 years and 11 months old
Weight: 5 pounds/2.25kg
Colouring: True tiger tabby (M on head) with green/gold eyes
Favourite food: Nutritional yeast, especially if she can lick it from the popcorn bowl
Household position: Alpha cat wannabe
Favourite place to sleep: On her person's stomach or lap
Favourite pasttime: Terrorizing the other cats
Nicknames: Scrawn Bean, Squash, Squish
How we got her: Sasha and sister Sukey, below, were in a shelter. According to the shelter folks, they had been left in a cardboard box next to a highway. We adopted them when they were about twelve weeks old.
August 9, 2003: Sasha never quite got over losing her sister Sukey (see below) -- she just seemed so lost without her. The stress didn't help with her hyperthyroidism and mild heart murmur. An active but skinny little girl, Sasha loved to be near us all the time. She had just eaten and then jumped up on the sofa to sit next to us when her heart began to fail. Although she hung on for a little while, today Sasha gave up her battle, exactly five weeks to the day after losing her sister. She awaits us now at the Rainbow Bridge. 

Sukey

September 1985 to July 5, 2003

Sukey is the friendliest cat of the bunch. She is the one most likely to come and greet guests while the other kitties are still hiding under the bed. As easygoing as she is, it is very easy to dement this cat! Sukey is also quite vocal and always has something to say -- especially when she's bringing her babies (which look remarkably like our socks :-). Sukey has a big crush on Stefan and follows him around the house like a puppy dog.

Birthday: September, 1985
Age: Forever 17 years and 10 months old
Weight: 7.5 pounds/3.2kg
Colouring: True tiger tabby (M on head) with green/gold eyes
Favourite food: Licking leftovers from the dish
Household position: Rarely challenges anyone
Favourite place to sleep: Between her two people
Favourite pasttime: Drinking water from the bathroom sink faucet, .
Nicknames: Snook-Badook, Sukey Pukey
How we got her: Sukey was adopted from a shelter with her sister Sasha, above. We saw them together and decided we couldn't separate them, so we took them both home.
July 5, 2003: Sukey seemed so healthy. Despite her kidney problems and a little arthritis she always ate well and was very active, so we thought she'd be around for a long time. Then last week she stopped eating. We syringe-fed her some, and gave her fluids, but her kidneys were shutting down. Today Sukey gave up her battle. She awaits us now at the Rainbow Bridge. 

Bessy
May 1988 to October 28, 2000

Bessy is our little baby -- well, not so little, really! As big as she is, Bessy is also the shyest of the kitties. Most of our visitors don't believe we have a fourth cat because they never see her. She loves to sit on the windowsill and sing to the birds in the yard. It took a really long time to get Bessy used to being touched -- she used to hide all the time, coming out only at night while the other kitties slept, to eat or use the litter box. It seems like now she's trying to make up for the years she lost, and just can't get enough gushing!

Birthday: May, 1988
Age: Forever 12 years and 5 months old
Weight: 11 pounds/5kg
Colouring: All black with golden eyes
Favourite food: Anything. You name it, she'll eat it. Lots of it.
Household position: The bottom of the pecking order. But she's starting to push back!
Favourite place to sleep: On the sofa, or on anyone who sits on the sofa.
Favourite pasttime: Sleeping and eating (tie)
Nicknames: Bessy Boop, Baby Beep
How we got her: Bessy was in the same shelter, although at a different time, as the tigers. She had been found along with her all-grey sister in a garbage dumpster. They developed coccidia, a very contagious parasitic condition, shortly after arriving at the shelter, and had to be isolated for most of the first year of their lives. Bessy became very skittish around people, and I was afraid no one would adopt her, so she joined our feline family.
October 28, 2000: Bessy, who was misdiagnosed as having a heart condition just nine days earlier, was examined yesterday by a competent vet who discovered a large tumour that was probably cancerous. Tests were scheduled for the following week, but tonight Bessy gave up her battle. She awaits us now at the Rainbow Bridge.  

For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same.

Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart.

And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
You know I will
I will.

- The Beatles

"Don't cry because it's over ... smile because it happened."

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