Short lives that were full of love

Sassy was the first cat I adopted when I moved to Seattle and was Jimmy's cousin. I had a cat I had brought with me from Pennsylvania and felt guilty for only having one pet in the house all day while I was at work. I found Sassy at a nearby Maine Coon breeder. She was hard to place because she was already 9 months old and didn't present a pleasant attitude when prospective adopters came by to see her. However, she played nicely with me and the breeder was so pleased that she gave her to me, papers and all. So I changed her name from "Goofy" to "Sasquatch's Maine Squeeze (you ought to see the size of her paws!) and called her Sassy. It was a very fitting name.

Another name for her was Thunderpaw, as she was the heaviest-stepping cat I have ever heard. There is no "fog creeping in on little cat's feet" here. No. She thumped her way down the hall regardless of gait or destination. And the noises that she makeed! Cries, yowls, mews - its hard to believe that these sounds werecoming out of a cat sometimes.

She passed away on May 1, 2006. Rest in Peace, Sassy.

Jimmy was the alpha cat. Whenever there was a dispute anywhere in the house Jimmy had to go check it out. He usually walked up to the two other cats involved, gave a little sniff to determine that everything's ok and then he was on his way.

He was also the kitty to get the most anxious when I started to pack up one of the bikes for a trip. He knew that I wasleaving him (again) and tried his best to get in my way and make sure that I knew that he was upset. It gotten to the point that just me washing the bikes had him in a tizzy. That said, his favorite bike to sit on was the VFR - it must have been that Corbin seat.

He passed away on April 7, 2007. Rest in Peace, Jimmy.

Officially her name was Elhaz the Rune Stalker, as she spent much time chewing and chasing a small rune necklace I wore when I visited her before she was weaned. Ellie, as her name has evolved to, was my very first kitten. Before getting Ellie I had never had a cat that was younger than 8 months, and it was high time that I experience kittenhood.

She was the most personable cat I've ever had, with a very expressive face, an "I'll pee on your down comforter if you tick me off" attitude and a purr that could wake me out of a sound sleep. Ellie loveed to cuddle under the covers, as long as her head wasn't covered. This lead to cozy snuggles with her head on my shoulder, toes kneeding my ribs and purring in my ear.

She passed away on October 10, 2007. Rest in Peace, Ellie.