Jerry Boot
Jerry was an extraordinary soul, who, when his second FFGW adoption failed at 9 months due to litter box issues, told a communicator that he was now going to be bad as possible, since being as good as he could be had gotten him nowhere. He came to us then and was our boy--and litterbox perfect--ever since. Jerry was 3 legged when he was found in a field at 4 weeks. We lost him  today (March 16, 2012) to an inoperable fibrosarcoma on his "good" rear leg. (The same leg he broke at 11 months—undaunted, he'd fling his big blue cast under his tummy and motor around pulling himself by his powerful front legs and pushing off with the remainder of his missing fourth leg. Including into the litterbox and right up to the top of the 6-foot cat tree in our dining room!)  He was a character—brave and cowardly, crabby and sweet and so, so smart. We will love and miss you forever, our Jerry "Itty Bitty" Boot.  Your Mommies.

Myrtle

Neon and Archie
Neon and Archie, both lost to us in December of 2009. We lost Neon on December 12th (he was approximately 15 years old) due to cancer and Archie most unexpectedly of liver and pancreatic failure on December 23rd (he was 7 years old) They could not have been more different. Neon (the short-haired cat) was a former feral who spent his whole life on the second floor of our house, mostly in our bedroom and a small spare bedroom. He only came downstairs in the last few months of his life; people joked that he was imaginary since so few people ever saw him. He was a quiet, gentle and loving little cat. Even toward the very end, he was sweet and mild-mannered. Eveyone at the vet's was sad to see him come in for the last time.

Archie and Neon
Archie was the life of the party. All the neighbors knew him; when company came over he would come out and play with everyone and do acrobatics-showing off on our cat tree. Then, when he had enough, he'd hiss to tell everyone that playtime was over. It was devastating when on a Tuesday he didn't seem well; we brought him to the vets and on recommendation transferred him to a specialty veterinary group, and on Wednesday were told treatment would be futile. It was a sad decision to make so soon after having losing Neon. They are both greatly missed by all human and feline friends and family. - Mary and Fred

Ancie
Miss Ancie Malley, pictured in this photo from 1995 with my daughter Mary, died on March 30, 2010.  Some time this summer she would have turned 18 years old. Ancie came to us out of the woods in Vermont.  We arrived one evening at a cabin there when our two daughters were babies, and the third daughter (the one in the photo) not yet in the material world.  The little kitten must have slipped in unnoticed.  But it seemed like she was already inside before we opened the door for, when we got the lights on, we could see the tiny creature that went with the big meow.  She was very tiny, perhaps 4 weeks old. She slept with me that night, nestled in my hair, kneading my head rather painfully (for me).  Next morning, her mother appeared from the woods and lead her away.  But in the evening, the mother returned and dropped her off.  This happened two nights in a row and the day we left, the kitten was not around.  Yet, our friends who owned the cabin returned later in the week, called me, and gave me the kitten.  My oldest daughter, who was 3, named her. This cat spent much of her life being independent, a big hunter out of doors, and a gentle creature indoors.  She was sweet.  I am really just awestruck when I think that she was the animal companion that I had longest of any.  It's so weird to look back on those 18 years, to think she was here when Mary was born, watched these kids grow up, accepted two doofus dogs into the house, and lived cautiously around an older, cranky cat.   I don't know how you can spend the most years you've ever spent with an animal companion, and still feel like it wasn't enough when she's gone.  I still look for her in the usual places and anticipate her greeting when I come home from work. But I am glad for the opportunities to post my memories here. - Kathryn Malley