Emily kitty had 99 lives: 1994-2011

(Emily and me a few months ago)
The vet comes over early in December and warns me that our 16 year old cat Emily is facing possible kidney disease.
In September 1994 we had just moved from Chicago to Massachusetts to teach, with our old cat Sammy and little tan dog Petey, (both of whom lived very long and wonderful lives.) In our first week at the new school, a nice woman named Leslie who was married to another teacher, asked if we wanted to ride along to pick up their dog at the kennel. We got the dog, but there was a stray kitten there too. The kennel owner said she had been abandoned there and was a sweetie but a wild thing too. She immediately charmed Leslie, then me, then Maude. She was one of those cats who just loved affection and was very affectionate herself. We decided to get our Sammy a kitten, which at first he was like "I never wanted a kitten!". He had said that when we got a dog too. Sammy lived to 16 and a half (1990-2007)and so did Emily.
I say she had 99 lives and its true. Sammy died of the Chinese tainted pet food thing and Emily was very sick then too. But she recovered. Then when we got Spike cat 3 years ago, he had a cold, she caught it and she almost died of pneumonia, but she came back.

My theory of kittens was put into action with her, as you see above. She was not a Ragdoll cat, but in my hands, she was a rag doll. I figured a young kitten would get used to being held and played with upside down, etc, and it was true, although she only let ME play with her like that.
For most of her life she was very chubby, as you see above. In the last 4 weeks all the extra weight came off. Her coat was always beautiful though. Saturday morning she seemed a little sick but she still had a huge appetite. Yesterday morning, suddenly she would not eat or drink anything, and with our other pets next to her, she fell asleep and did not wake up.

She had been named for the wife's sister Emily, who had gotten a cat at about the same time and named her Maude. Maude cat died recently too.

You are always amazed at how loving a small, free, stray cat can be. It is humbling--all they want is to be with YOU. How can you ever live up to that? I have worked at home most of Emily's life, so you know we spent nearly every hour of her life together. What a great friend.


(pic above and below from a week or 2 ago--Emily with Spike and modeling for a mug design)

(mug that I made and painted of Emily just last week)

(next 2 pictures--Emily with Penny and Buster and Spike yesterday)