Mimi
A donation was made in memory of Mimi by Drs. Burhenn and King at Feline Medical Clinic on Nov 22, 2023.
Sad news, Our long term companion and best feline friend went on to Kitty Heaven today, with the help of our favorite vet, Kathy King, DVM, in Vancouver. Just a few days ago, she was waking me up at 6:00 so I could see the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on CNBC, our daily togetherness, she after a little of her favorite cat food, and me with a cup of coffee and the daily paper. This practice had gone on for years, esp. since I retired and no longer had early morning meetings. She’d sit on my lap and pretend to be interested in the news. Then, two days ago, something happened, probably a kitty stroke. She was not able to stand steadily, blind an deaf, and basically confused. What to do?? Well, the only thing to do with a 25+ year old feline is to accept the inevitable and put her out of her misery as comfortably as possible.
Mimi was our beach cat, abandoned by a neighbor and left to fend for herself. She sponged food off of Barney, the neighbor dog who was too old to object, by eating what he left in the bowl, and was allowed to stay in their shed where they provided a bed and food, sometimes. One day she showed up on our front porch in cold winter weather, looking for a little better food than she had been getting, and a companion. Enter Henry, our male cat and focus of our lives until then. Henry was smitten with her, and vice versa, and a feline couple was formed. Katy thought she could find her a nice home elsewhere, but I was pretty sure she already had—us. Next thing we knew she was running our lives, and Henry’s, and that was that. They slept together, ate from the same bowls, were the cutest of pals. Henry was quickly outmaneuvered for dominance, and Mimi was the Alpha Female.
All the above happened 25 years ago and she has lasted all this while. Henry died at 16, Loulou, our third cat, died a few years later, leaving Mimi as our remaining cat. That was fine wth her, as she got along well with Katy and I and we loved her. Given a choice, she like me best. But when I was elsewhere, she was fine with Katy. And Katy loved her and spoiled her to a very high degree. Nothing was too good for Mimi.
Last May, we gave her a 25th year birthday party, at both the beach and in Portland. We asked friends to bring cat food and toys for donation to the local shelter or humane society, or cash, and they did. We ended up donating about $6000 in cash and a car load of food, blankets, toys, litter, etc. Pretty good showing for a little girl. After that, she lost weight steadily and slept more and more each day. So, we knew the end was near.
There have been lots of times I cussed my role in taking care of her, but in truth, I got more than I gave. I guess pets do that to us, and I confess that I enjoyed having her especially, and will miss her greatly. Cat lovers can understand. RIP Mimi.
Roger Qualman
Mimi was our beach cat, abandoned by a neighbor and left to fend for herself. She sponged food off of Barney, the neighbor dog who was too old to object, by eating what he left in the bowl, and was allowed to stay in their shed where they provided a bed and food, sometimes. One day she showed up on our front porch in cold winter weather, looking for a little better food than she had been getting, and a companion. Enter Henry, our male cat and focus of our lives until then. Henry was smitten with her, and vice versa, and a feline couple was formed. Katy thought she could find her a nice home elsewhere, but I was pretty sure she already had—us. Next thing we knew she was running our lives, and Henry’s, and that was that. They slept together, ate from the same bowls, were the cutest of pals. Henry was quickly outmaneuvered for dominance, and Mimi was the Alpha Female.
All the above happened 25 years ago and she has lasted all this while. Henry died at 16, Loulou, our third cat, died a few years later, leaving Mimi as our remaining cat. That was fine wth her, as she got along well with Katy and I and we loved her. Given a choice, she like me best. But when I was elsewhere, she was fine with Katy. And Katy loved her and spoiled her to a very high degree. Nothing was too good for Mimi.
Last May, we gave her a 25th year birthday party, at both the beach and in Portland. We asked friends to bring cat food and toys for donation to the local shelter or humane society, or cash, and they did. We ended up donating about $6000 in cash and a car load of food, blankets, toys, litter, etc. Pretty good showing for a little girl. After that, she lost weight steadily and slept more and more each day. So, we knew the end was near.
There have been lots of times I cussed my role in taking care of her, but in truth, I got more than I gave. I guess pets do that to us, and I confess that I enjoyed having her especially, and will miss her greatly. Cat lovers can understand. RIP Mimi.
Roger Qualman
