Kitty, or Black Kitty (as she was known by the kids) came into our lives when I worked at an animal hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island. Someone found her by the road and brought her to the clinic; she was a young adult and seemed perfectly healthy. I spayed her on the sly and brought her back to the apartment I shared with Lisa until the incision healed and her fur grew back. Or at least that's what I told Lisa. I had no intention of bringing her back to work.
We struggled with a name, but did actually gave her one - Lexus. But it never stuck and she's been called Kitty pretty much since day one. Kitty was aloof, intent on being outdoors whenever possible, and an amazing hunter. She routinely brought us dead mice and would howl outside our window in triumph with her catch. One time she ran outside and returned in 30 seconds with a dead baby bunny. Wow!
She would allow us to pet her only on her terms. If you didn't do it right, or pet her for too long, she would give you a little bite and then leap off your lap. We always felt privileged when she allowed our love and affection (which wasn't often). In fact, she remained so hidden that many of our friends didn't even know we had her. Although she spent much of the warmer months outdoors, in the winter she would sleep on Jalen's bed. But only if the conditions were right - move too quickly and she would jump off and disappear, much to Jalen's dismay.
Kitty disappeared about 2 weeks ago. Normally she would grace us with her presence every other day or so, but as the days went on we became more worried. We looked around the neighborhood but knew it would be almost impossible to find her. This morning, however, a neighbor found her in their yard. She was weak, thin, and had trouble breathing. Lisa rushed her to the U of MN and we discovered that she had a large tumor in her lungs. After some deliberation, and especially because her condition didn't improve even with removal of some of the fluid in her chest, we elected to euthanize Kitty.
The kids were devastated. The girls wrote her books that said, We love you so so so so so much. And, I hope you don't go to sleep, because I would be so sad. And they drew a picture of her favorite hiding space - under Jalen's bed. There was much hysteria in the vet hospital visitor's room tonight.
I know this is a lot to write about a cat, but I don't think people knew her very well and I just wanted to share her story. Kitty, we will miss you.
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