f. Chloe RIP

Chloe, the senior feline catus domesticus member of the family, passed away friday afternoon.

i-e4ecf8100f7d9d69c54bbd9c3baf13d8-st1.gif

Chloe was a very proper grand old lady cat.

She showed up in our garden in Aptos one spring and stayed with us for very many years through mutliple moves.

For the last four months she had been getting progressively more sick, general old age related problems, which required more and more medication. This week she became reluctant to eat and very withdrawn, and friday morning she refused water. We took her in, had her sedated and then put down, the alternative was too painful for her.

The Big Kid is meeting some existential angst, delicate age for that; the Munchkin has started asking "where is Chloe".
Her step-brother, the mighty Þór, has withdrawn into his box, and wanders around confused and upset when he comes out.

Tears all around.

She had a good long life.

i-cea38f9500fd1c24ae789e55230fea9c-chloe-sleeps.jpg

Chloe sleeps (2007)

Chloe was apparently spayed and then abandoned in the state park forest in Aptos when she was less than one year old.
We were renting Bob Kraft's house while he was on sabbatical, on the cliffs above the beach, backing onto the forest.
Chloe showed up in the garden, we found her sunning herself on the wellhouse roof; she accepted some chicken, barfed on my foot and moved in.
Within about two weeks she was taking the most comfortable spot on the big bed and ruling the house.

She once charged out of the house and jumped a stray dog, about 5 times bigger than she, who had cornered my wife away from the back door - the dog ran for it.
She got lost after we moved, was gone for weeks - chased off by an aggressive tomcat - and then found by a neighbour, with one of her forelegs almost garrotted off. A "mastercard moment" and several surgeries later she was back, good as new (apart from a jag in her striped in the left side), and she had a new baby brother - Þór, aka Thor, had followed us home from the Santa Cruz SPCA one day that we went there looking for Chloe.

She was very good with the kids, sat over them when they were infants and came to get us if they woke or cried, more efficient than any baby monitor.

She was very affectionate, a gourmand, and had the softest fur on the planet.

i-976b853f46294ecb7671912388095b25-mama-cat.jpg

Mama cat.

Tags

More like this

  (Athena takes her ease) A couple of readers have asked me to describe all the people and critters on our farm - they are newer readers or old ones who know things have changed a bit but not how, so I thought I'd do a series of short posts introducing you the residents.  For some reason, I…
The Bottleneck Years by H.E. Taylor Chapter 93 Table of Contents Chapter 95 Chapter 94 Andrew, September 21, 2060 Edie woke me from a deep sleep. "Luc. It's time." It was 2:45 in the morning. We had planned for several possibilities. I called a cab, then I called our next door neighbour,…
One difference between city dwellers in bird flu afflicted areas like Indonesia and southeast asia and the US is that many of the former keep poultry as companion animals (aka, pets) or sources of protein (eggs, meat). But some people in the US think it sounds like a pretty good idea: Last year,…
My first wife had a cat named Cassandra, and she had a litter of three kittens. One was grey, black and white, and we called him Batman. Two were ginger, and I don't remember what we called them, but the neighbour who took one of them in called him Sophus. He grew up to become a fine tomcat and a…

My condolences. Shannon and I lost Roux in October, and we still think about her often. It is pretty amazing how much a cat can make her way into your heart.

Sorry to hear it. She sounds like a great cat.

So, so sorry to hear this. My condolences. I lost my beloved Punkin Cat a few years ago, and, though I have another wonderful cat, I still miss him an awful lot. Cats can really become part of the family.

So sorry Steinn - please give everyone hugs from us all. We loved seeing and hanging out with Chloe and know that she will be missed by lots of people.

By Alexandra (not verified) on 11 Feb 2007 #permalink

The way to cope with the loss is to get another cat. There are so many out there that need our love.

By Paul Dietz (not verified) on 13 Feb 2007 #permalink

Just lost Chutney last night at about 4 am this morning (kidney failure). So I'm with you. I'm going to miss that little furry psychopath. (That's a term of endearment; you had to know her to appreciate it.)

we're so sorry for your loss.

By lacey and chloe (not verified) on 10 Aug 2007 #permalink