Our last cat, Zoe, passed away this past June.

In June, 2001, Greg took four of our kids to a former student’s house to look at some kittens. I gave him permission to choose one or two to adopt. (We’d previously owned two cats, and then three more cats. We were catless at the time.)

He came home with four kittens.

“Why?” I asked.

“I couldn’t break up the family, could I?”

Each kid got to name a kitten. They were Channing, Cloud, Bruce, and Zoe.

They all lived fairly long lives. I think Bruce was first to pass, then Channing. Then last year, Cloud.

Zoe, who had been quite fat at one point in her life, weighed only 3 pounds the day she died. She started hanging out in the shower, which was what Bruce did when he was ready to die. I took Zoey to the vet and stayed with her while they administered the shots. Little sweetie. I miss her so. She was nineteen years old, the oldest cat we’d ever had.

But I’d gotten really tired of cat hair everywhere. There will be no more cats at this Huelsenbeck house. Three of our kids, though, have cats.

Here’s a wonderful article about an artist who draws illustrations from cat photos online. They will make you laugh. Enjoy. And pet a cat today.