Eighteen years is a pretty good lifespan for a housecat, and Little Girl was very healthy for most of it. She had been aging gracefully up until around Christmastime, when she began to go into steep decline; she had lost her appetite and was becoming increasingly frail. Two weeks ago, and with the concurrence of her veterinarian, Corinne and I made the difficult but necessary decision to euthanize her.
Lori and I got her along with her brother, Orion "Black Cat," in the fall of 2007. Although her real name was Artemis, Lori nicknamed her "Little Girl" as a kitten and that's the name that stuck, partly because it was easier for Kirby to say. I kept both cats after the divorce and they remained my faithful, if not demanding, companions over the subsequent years and through subsequent relationships. They even tolerated Michelle's and Corinne's dogs.
Little Girl was the quintessential lap cat: if you sat down on the couch, she would immediately come and sit on your lap. It didn't matter who you were because she never met a human she didn't like (although Corinne would eventually become her favorite human). She was always looking for affection, too; if your hand got anywhere near her, she would nudge it with her head it as a clear demand to be pet.
Now with all of the "Begging Bunch" - Piper, Black Cat and Little Girl - gone, Corinne and I are probably going to be pet-free for a little while. There will come a time when we adopt "Nextpuppy" and "Nextkitten" (preferably simultaneously), but we can use a short break from the responsibilities of pet ownership.
Thank you, Little Girl, for being such a sweet and loyal furry friend. You will be missed.
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