Suzie
Albuquerque Sue was found at a humane society event in front of a Wild Oats market in Albuquerque during a visit in 1995. She was about a year old and looked a little like our beloved Jasper. She immediately attached herself to Marilyn and the feeling was mutual. We were leaving in just two days. They succeeded in doing a rush spaying and she was ours that afternoon. Amazing how these responsibilities just happen. Suzie is a very inquisitive cat. She hates Abbey. She likes to sit in the bathtubs. She wishes she could go outside like Banff but she has always been an indoor cat and we are not going to change that at the moment, although the house must be very dull for her. Well that has changed over time. Suzie likes to roll on the warm concrete on the front steps and prowl around the backyard but is very cautious.
Banff
Banff was found as a tiny kitten meowing on a dark and snowy night on our front steps at Thanksgiving in 1987. We opened the screen door and he walked right in at sat by the fire. Since he seemed like he knew where he belonged we kept him. We gave him the nickname of microcat because he was so tiny. He is now a good sized cat and loves people. Since the other cat was Jasper it was only natural to name him Banff. He also has the nicknames Mr. B and Lump Cat because he will pour himself into your lap and lay there. When you get up, he sort of just pours out of your lap onto the chair where you were sitting.He had grown from microcat to a hefty cat that moved with grace and quiet power. He ruled the yard. He started in Marilyn's house on Larkbunting in Fort Collins. Then he was king of the yard at the Bangor Court house. The picture was of him nestled in his sunny garden spot in the backyard. Finally, retiring to control his place at Hathaway St in Moscow.
In 2008, he was not doing well and having some system failures that made him weak and lose his muscle tone. On March 4, 2009, 21 years and 3 months after he showed up on that snowy night, we sent him on his way. We will miss him terribly. He lived with us longer than most children live with their parents. What a sweet and special cat he was. That next day it snowed.
Jasper
Jasper is Marilyn's cat. He is quite an old fellow now. Marilyn got him when she lived in San Fransisco. She got him free from someone on Castro Street in 1976. Some friends of hers had just come back from the Banff and Jasper Canadian National Parks so he got the name Jasper. His official adoption date is Aug 11, 1976. Yes, he is still prowling around, but slowly.At sunset today (Sep 29, 1994) Jasper, our cat, died in Marilyn's arms in our backyard. He was deeply loved. His passing will leave a hole in our family that cannot be filled. We will miss him greatly.
Jasper We play on this earth a short while, catch a few mice, sleep in the sun. What more can be said of this than we lived and were loved. Good night Jasper.
This poem has even more meaning for me now:
For a Dead Kitten Put the rubber mouse away, Pick the spools up from the floor, What was velvet-shod, and gay, Will not want them any more. What was warm, is strangely cold. Whence dissolved the little breath? How could this small body hold So immense a thing as Death? -Sara Henderson Hay