Kitty Witty Bitty

... came to live with us in 1996.  Scott walked into the station one day at the end of his shift and there was Kitty hoping for a home or else he was heading for Animal Welfare.  Kitty came home to be Sarah's cat.  She named him Brendan. (The name is on his records at the Vet's but it never stuck - he's Kitty.) Kitty liked Sarah so much he sprayed her several times ('til we got him fixed) to mark her as his own.  The spraying seemed to get in the way of Sarah and Kitty's relationship . . . apparently Sarah can't take a joke ... and they never did get too close.  So Kitty became the family cat, and mostly Scott's.  He and most of the dogs that came to be part of our family learned to tolerate each other.  Kitty and Scout - close friends.  Peach has always felt pure, strong love with lots of enthusiasm. . . Kitty, not so much.

When we lived in the city he was allowed in the backyard but only on a lease.  He proved the nine lives theory by hanging himself a few times by trying to go over the fence.  We finally shortened the lease to prevent that from happening again. 

When we moved to the farm he was at first intimidated by so much outdoor space.  He'd hide under a bush right near the house.  But he soon got over that and learned to enjoy exploring the barn yard, the barns, all the other buildings and the hay field.   Every night, weather permitting, we'd walk the dogs down the lane to the road and back.  Kitty would follow like he was one of the dogs - it was kind of cute. I think he, like the rest of us, really enjoyed life at the farm.

When we moved from the farm to town, outdoor exploring was limited to the back yard.  A big back yard but still not the same as the farm.  Poor Kitty.  He developed some early morning antics (that you can read about here) and every few months would manage to escape for a short adventure.  Sadly (for him) he was captured each time within minutes.  Poor Kitty.

The last few months we've seen an older, slower Kitty. 

The last couple days, a distressed, breathless Kitty. 

Today, Kitty Witty Bitty is no more.

RIP Kitty.