Tamara Stoneburner shared this lovely In Memoriam post for her late cat, Kes. "She is officially the oldest person (in terms of human years, and well, cat years) I’ve ever known…"
KES
September 12, 2000 - May 21, 2023 (5pm)
For 23 years she was my studio companion. A lap cat, she was, with a disconcertingly loud and rumbling purr, not unlike a John Deere tractor. She was fiercely loyal to those people and other cats she accepted (and a bit of a jackass to those she did not suffer, namely Bogart, our 14-year old cat mentioned in prior posts). In later years she mellowed, especially since becoming both blind and deaf. We’d nicknamed her “Roomba” as she navigated the first-floor perimeters, locating food/water, the litter box, our presence, and her personal favorite: the warmth of the sun.
Her last day with us was highlighted by time spent outdoors. Having been an indoor cat, she was introduced to the concept of grass and the essence of most fragrant peonies. She ate of the grass (and an earthworm — I guess she was Flexitarian; there’s no accounting for taste). I believe she became scent-drunk as she rubbed her face vigorously among the peonies. And she experienced the light breezes of this phenomenal late-Spring afternoon.
====================
I cannot recommend enough the concierge hospice/in-home euthanasia services of Lap of Love here in northern Virginia. The calming, informative, and compassionate presence of Dr. Jessica Gibson was most appreciated.
Tamara previously shared her cat Bogart with us on the Cats in Gardens blog. You can read that post here: https://catsingardens.blogspot.com/2023/05/guardian-of-stoop.html
