| This summer the two cats that have been with our family since I was in middle school, Sandra and her daughter Blue, went to kitty heaven. We got Sandra in 1987 right before my parents split up and my mom and brother moved from Ft Meade, MD, to Virginia. When I was growing up my best friend down the street had a cat who was never fixed and every couple of years she would have a litter. So when we first got Sandra I asked my dad if we could hold off on getting her fixed he agreed; the house was pretty empty anyway. Blue was born in a litter of four on Easter Day 1988, with Mao, Clarence, and Furball II. I think we called her blue because of her deep blue eyes that stood out against her grey fur. When she was one my dad and I moved off the base to Odenton, and shortly afterwards she was hit by a car and lost her toes on one foot. For two weeks she was in the hospital and wasn’t expected to live, although she recovered and lived for another 16 years. Because of the accident she walked with a permanent limp and was very neurotic. She was very talkative and affectionate, and continued to be an active indoor/outdoor kitty. In January 2004 she disappeared for a few days in a cold snap and came back to my dad’s house in rough shape. I think she had gone away to die, but changed her mind and decided she still had a couple of lives left. She had lost half her weight and for the last 19 months of her life she weighed only 2-3 pounds, although she continued to remain fairly active, and was as affectionate as always. Sandra had always been in perfect health and was always an elegant yet friendly cat. However, after her daughter died she fell into a depression and became ill, following her daughter a couple months later. |
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