Our Sasha was with us almost 19 years and was our entire world. I adopted her as a kitten in Georgia, grateful for a friend’s suggestion that I go to an out-of-the-way shelter where fewer people visited and animals weren’t always adopted. She immediately jumped into my arms and rubbed her face all over mine, showing me how much she wanted to go home. She was just as loving for the rest of her life!

She loved running around with Sylvester, my friend’s tuxedo kitty, and waving her voluptuous belly at everyone she saw. She would chirp more than meow and Sylvester would squeak, so they were quite the pair!

She lived in eight homes in two states, moving from Georgia to Washington and never blinking an eye, happy as long as we were with her. She came running to the door every time we came home and moved from room to room to be next to us. She chased the sun throughout the day, moving from window to window, or parked herself in front of the fireplace during the winter. She loved to sleep under the lights of the Christmas tree. She sat in my lap as I did puzzles and in the actual puzzle box if I wasn’t paying attention to her. She would hold my hand with her little paw and I melted every time she did.

She loved snuggling in soft blankets and squeezing into the smallest boxes she could find. She nipped at my heels if I was talking on the phone and not to her. She gave us wet nose kisses and nuzzled our hair. She charmed every friend who visited and loved to be wherever the action was. She loved to snuggle with our shoes, even burying her face in them. She could sleep through the vacuum cleaner going around her bed – crazy kid! She couldn’t sit still if I had a bowl of cereal or anything with dairy. She left us whiskers as gifts from time to time. In her later years, she climbed her kitty stairs every night to snuggle on top of me, purring me to sleep.

We miss her striking green eyes, distinctive tabby markings, beautiful pink nose, sweet meow and, of course, her gorgeous belly. We miss how excited she was to see us – every time - even if we had seen her just ten minutes earlier. We miss her staring into our eyes and giving us long, slow blinks to tell us she loved us. She was the most loyal and loving little girl and will forever be in our hearts. We know that she and Sylvester are running together again.

We are so thankful to Dr. Rebecca Rogers and the entire team at Loyal Family Veterinary Hospital for taking care of her for so many years. We are especially grateful that they made a donation in Sasha’s memory to the WSU Pet Memorial Fund. We’re proud to support it and the good work they do as well.