The passing of a Diva

Late last night our Beast passed on.

Back in December of 2002 she arrived in our lives via one of my many jobs. It was a bitter cold day when the man in charge of our warehouse came into my office with the announcement of, "Look what I found!"

It was a half starved, wild eyed, calico cat. Jason had discovered it hiding in our warehouse and he said it looked like it had spent the night under our Dumpster. He could tell because we'd had a lot of snow and her little paw prints were everywhere.

I immediately ran home, stole food from my own two cats, and raced back to work to feed the new stray.

In her eagerness to get to the food the poor starved kitty knocked the bowl over. When we put a dish of water down beside her she assumed that it too, was food, and buried her head (to the neck) in it! That poor cat had only one thing on her mind from then on, and that was to never stop eating.

The owner of the company where I worked (a fellow cat lover) had the new kitty dewormed and deloused, and the vet said the cat was about a day away from death when she found us. I volunteered to take the kitty as a 16th birthday gift for my daughter (the future vet tech).

My worries about her being bullied by my other two cats were completely unfounded as she kicked the sh*t out of both of them upon being released from her cage and from there on in, the other cats bowed to her supremacy.

Because she was supreme.

She was The Beast!

As she ate, and grew (and grew) I came to realize that I'd never encountered anything quite like The Beast. I've been the owner of countless animals over the years but this one will forever stand out as the most human of the bunch.

Every morning when I got up and ready for work, The Beast would burst through the bathroom door and with a deep sigh, she would heave herself onto the floor and commence to groom herself for the day. And upon discovering that, because she was so obese, she couldn't reach her bottom while hoisting her hind leg off the floor to wash her behind, she would leave her leg up in the air and would instead, furiously scrub her front paws.

It's all in the attitude.

She did this every day.

She loved shoes and it was a bit disconcerting to find her with both of her front feet thrust into my shoes.

Way too many times.

One day I walked into my bedroom to find her wearing one of my blue jean skirts. Luckily for me, her waist (at that time), was bigger than mine or I'm half afraid she would have figured out how to fasten it.

Another time I caught her, elbow deep, rooting through my purse. Looking for my car keys? I'm not sure. But I shakily told my boss the next day that if I were to arrive at work, slightly heavier and hairier to please go across the street to my house and make sure I wasn't bound in duct tape!

Hans, who's only ever had one pet in his life, was pretty sure that The Beast was a reincarnation of his paternal grandmother. As a child, Hans' grandmother's family had been well off but World War I was their ruination. The family factory and money may have been gone but Grandma's pride remained for the rest of her years.

As a child, Grandma loved riding in cars.

So did The Beast.

Grandma loved to rule the roost.

So did The Beast.

Grandma was a large woman.

So was The Beast.

The Beast was a meeter and a greeter. While my shy cat Chlorox, can disappear at the hint of company, The Beast was there to greet everyone including my grand-dog Duncan the Pit Bull. Even Duncan quickly learned who was boss.

This past winter I started my move to the Big City and The Beast went to live with Vet Tech Girl who put her on a diet. The Beast lost about five pounds. Her dandruff disappeared and she became very active. However she has always been FIV positive, most likely having been born with this affliction and I wonder if this is what took her life at the very young age of around seven.








Here she is with her neck through the loop of a JoAnn's bag.

I didn't say she was smart.



























With her beads. She loved her beads and I dug them out this morning and left them at Vet Tech Girl's apartment. She may need them in her new life.

I hope so.

The Beast

2001-2009

She was truly loved.