R.I.P. Willow
Miss Willow Fluffytail, ???? (2001 or earlier, probably) - October 21, 2010
Fsijk came to my rescue, coming over to supervise the kidlets while I went over to the vet. I brought Willow's body home, let Kidzilla see her, pet her fur, we talked about her being dead and all her parts still being there, but her mind and herself not being inside her anymore. I buried her under the apple tree, whose trunk I now will not have to wrap to protect it from being shredded by her claw-sharpening. I laid her on a bed of rosemary (that's for remembrance) and yew (from the yew she used to nest under), the battered brown catnip mouse between her paws.
Willow turned up on our doorstep in early 2004 -- late January? Early February? Something like that. She was always so thrilled to see us, from the very first moment we saw her.
Early 2004 - Silly was not amused by the doppelganger.
Willow made herself a nest under the yew, in the pile of grass clippings.
There was a cold snap, so we moved her into the garage. She decided the "bowl" of the upside-down garbage can lid was the perfect place to curl up.
She got sick, and about $250 to the vet later, we had a third cat. She was such a smart cat, it was almost eerie sometimes. She completely weirded out our plumber, he said from the way she was looking at him he expected her to just start talking to him.
April of 2005 -- Silhouette still does not approve...
November of 2005 -- ... but sunshine is too important to quibble over.
Willow's favorite game in her younger, friskier days: "Rub my belly so I can bite your hand!!"
December of 2005 -- Unlike Silly, Sylvester was thrilled.
Sylvester and Willow
February of 2006 -- before he came inside, Simon and Willow cordially ignored each other. (afterward, not so much)
Kidzilla at 10 days old ... with Willow curled up right under his head.
She was the nanny cat, coming to inquire anxiously when Kidzilla was crying, purring at him while he was nursing, laying down next to him and "guarding" if he wasn't sleeping in his crib...
Willow and "her" baby
Is it any wonder Kidzilla learned to head-bonk before he learned to hug??
She was the best cat I've ever known. Goodbye, Willow. We love you, and we'll miss you. We'll never forget you.