In memory of our good ol' cat

Noah and I recently said a sad and very reluctant farewell to our second old cat, Turtle. Miss her lots, as we continue to miss Cat No. 1 Lucy, who died last year. Very different animals, both very beloved. Both are buried deep in the peony patch in our Robbinsdale back yard, the place they loved most on Earth. In honor of Turtle-icious, three photos:

Turtle on the last day of her life, Oct. 4, 2012. She was faded and matted, but I'd been determinedly brushing and grooming her, as if that would save her, which is why she looks so clean and shiny in this photo.  Like Lucy, who died last year at almost-16, she'd been diagnosed with a terminal condition (kidney disease in her case), and rather than let her waste away and die in our loving but medically bumbling home hospice as we did Lucy, we opted to have her euthanized before it got too terrible. Everyone who's ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet knows what that was like. :(

A photo from Noah and Turtle's wild youth, around 1998. Turtle was 1, Noah about 8. I believe Noah was in time-out for some transgression (maybe wearing Green Bay Packers garb??!!) when this photo was taken. Nothing more comforting during a time-out than a sweet pet and Winnie-the-Pooh!

Taken in summer 1997. Turtle the then-kitten was trying to get Noah to play with her rather than reading about his hero, Superman.