Miriam 1991-2008

She was a little, tabby cat that was known by alot of names... Miriam, Miriam Piriam, Baby Kitty, Meow Meow Baby Kitty Meow, Tooncy Pooncy, Toonces and lovingly, Bitchy Little Cat. Miriam was adopted some time in December 1991 while we lived in Albuquerque, NM. She was a kitten of 8 weeks old. I immediately began choosing names that started with "M" because of the sweet little tabby "M" that she had on her forehead (those of you with tabbies know what I'm talking about). She was mainly adopted so my hubby would have a kitty of his own as the only pets we had at the time were a snake and my 8 year-old kitty Amelia (who was a Mama's girl extraordinaire). I remember bringing her home and Amelia hissing at her right off the bat, but it didn't deter her a bit! And we spent the next year with an overly rambunctious kitten who didn't realize that 3 am was NOT the time to go zinging through the house like a wild cat! She was truly crazy and we were both covered in little scratches for years!

She eventually grew up and mellowed a bit and actually turned out to be quite a nasty, little cat in many respects. She loved my husband and tolerated me, but absolutely despised other people. She would hide under the bed and hiss at people if she had no hiding place. She literally made her mark on a good friend of ours when he picked her up and cradled her like a baby. She showed her ultimate disdain and contempt for this by practically ripping his face off. Not that I didn't warn him!

Miriam never got very big, she was always a short, stout, little thing with lovely tabby markings, a pristine white chin, piercing green eyes and the most wonderful caramel-colored belly I ever saw. In her later years, when I was sure she wouldn't shred my face, I used to pick her up and rub my cheek on that fuzzy belly... SO soft!

She was always the healthiest little cat. The only time she was ever at the vet for anything other than shots was when my brother-in-law's giganto iguana bit her on the ass on our wedding day! I was so lucky to have a happy, healthy little cat. One of her favorite things in the whole world was sun-bathing in any window she could find. I would constantly find her "caramel side up", laying on her back in the windows. It was so cute. Unfortunately in the long run, that wonderful, warm, relaxing habit may have been her ultimate downfall.

About 2 years ago, when she was 15-ish, I noticed a strange growth on the pad of her back right foot. We went to the vet, they aspirated it and determined that was some sort of tumor. We had surgery to remove the mass, which was identified as a fibrosarcoma. They felt pretty confident that they got good margins, but warned me that fibrosarcoma is usually very aggressive and regrowth was definitely possible. Sadly, the cancer re-grew rapidly, it began to cause serious pain. We tried many different types of meds to manage the pain, but it progressed to the point where she could hardly walk and she would viciously attack the tumor, causing it to bleed and become infected. After many months of trying to get the pain under control, I finally determined that there was nothing I could do to make her life bearable.

Yesterday I had to put my Baby Kitty to sleep. The decision disgusts me, the whole situation disgusts me. Other than that leg, she was a fairly healthy kitty. She ate well, drank well and she looked GREAT. But you could tell that the pain definitely had taken its toll. I keep trying to comfort myself with the thought that I freed her from a prison of pain. At this point, it's not really helping though. No matter how I look at it, she's gone and I could give a shit if it was the right thing to do or not, I just miss her.

So... Miriam Elise, I love you and I will NEVER forget you! I am so happy that I got to be your "Mommy" and I will miss your crabby, little ass more than you will ever know! Rest in peace sweet girl.