Monday, February 9, 2004

ain't no sunshine when she's gone

last night, my mom called me to let me know that our family's cat Skinny died.


one very happy cat basking in the sun


if you want to get technical, Skinny was my sister's cat. she was born in my front yard when i was in kindergarten, and me and my sister each chose a cat from the litter to keep. to be more specific, i chose a cat, but skinny chose my sister. when she was born she was the runt of the litter (hence her name, Skinny), and when we took the kittens in for show and tell, her eyes were still closed. in both our classes, the kittens were in the center of at least twenty 4 and 5 year olds, and both times, even with her eyes still closed, skinny headed straight to my sister. (skinny and her mommy)

she wasn't the runt for long! (big fat skinny) skinny loved people food, mcdonalds french fries in particular. when we went out to pick up dinner, she somehow knew that french fries were on the way home and she'd be waiting at the front door. she knew tricks, too... when we asked her if she wanted a treat, she'd stand up on her hind legs to reach for it! when we asked her for a kiss, she'd look up and actually kiss us, she would go to bed when we told her to, and she came when we called her (most of the time, anyway).

she was such a mellow cat, too... we called her noodle because when you picked her up she'd just be limp like a noodle. i know it was becasue she totally trusted us... and we could lay her down and she'd lie there however we set her down. (the noodle in action) every once in a while we'd get her do do really weird things... for example, look at this picture! no matter how silly we got, skinny never bit us or scratched us or anything. she was a great sport.

and of course she liked to sleep... and sleep... and sleep some more.

and when i got my digital camera last year, she became my favorite model (camera hog, model feline, contemplating the wall, orange and green).
even back in high school she was great at posing for the camera... we even got her photos taken at a pet store once... (what a gorgeous feline!) and the photographer said she was a natural!

basically, skinny has been a part of the family for as long as i can remember (me and skinny circa 1985). the first thing i do when i get to my parent's house is go look for her... when i got there today she wasn't there and it was seriously the saddest i've ever felt in my whole life... it was like there was a big hole in the house that will never be filled. i don't think there will ever be a day i won't think about her. she really was the best cat there ever was.


the last photo i took of skinny
october 17, 2003


5 comments:

Donz said...

The Shkinz, as I like to call her, really was the BEST cat I ever knew. I love cats, and my family never had one, so in a way I felt like The Shkinz was my cat-away-from-home. I like to think that she knew who I was (especially when I used to come over to her house every day after school)... I am glad that she lived such a long and happy life and that she passed away in peace! We'll miss her...

Shawn said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. My cat of 17 years passed away in 2001 and I still miss him to this day. Some days it's easy and other days it hits me hard. To many people he was cat but to my family, he was a sibling and a kid. I cherished the time I had with Pumpkin. I'm sure you'll cherish your memories of Skinny.

Carol said...

That was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful cat. I know how much you miss her, and how wonderfully you always treated her.
You didn't mention her years helping your mom babysit, letting any number of babes and toddlers learn "Be Gentle" on her trusting head ..

Amalia said...

I'll miss Skinny as much as you will. She was a great friend when I came to your mom's daycare. no matter what, skinny never even thought of biting or scratching.She was cute and funny, and it was fun to watch her snuggle up in all the pillows. I will miss her very much.

leblanc said...

you are so lucky to have had such an amazing friend for all these years. my friend P's cat that was 22 just died last weekend, and we had a long and emotional discussion about all the joys a lifelong cat can bring to your life.
my kitty is 17 - i've only had her for the past 5 years, but it still feels like forever. now i feel like i should go home and take 100s of pictures of her. great job remembering her here!!