It is with great sadness that I share the news: Catharine Honeyman died
last night.

For those of you who were around back in February 2002, you will
remember the story of Jack and Catharine. For those of you who are new,
please allow me to share it once again.

The full story, with pictures, is at http://www.ect.org/dj

Catharine was a frequent poster to this newgroup, and she had a
devastating case of breast cancer. The doctors only gave her months to
live, and her primary concern was that the cat she loved so much, Jack,
would find a safe and loving home. She posted here, hoping to find
someone in Seattle, where she lived. I said I would adopt Jack if we
could find a way to get him from Seattle to the St. Louis area, where I
lived.

It snowballed so quickly that within a couple of days, the plan was
underway! Megan of this group found a wonderful company called Pro Pet
Transports, who agreed to a price break because the story touched them
as well, and the wonderful, generous cat lovers from this group
immediately began to call the company with donations. Almost as quickly
as the plan started, the "Jack Fund" was filled.

I will never forget the love and generosity from so many in this
newgroup.

Jack was fostered with Beth, and then began his trip east. Jack truly
became this newgroup's cat. Everyone loved Jack.

I had a senior cat named Dmitri, and I just knew he would love Jack. We
weren't too sure how Jack would feel about Dmitri, though. He had been
a feral rescue in Seattle, and now he was traveling across America to a
strange and new home...with a resident cat.

I followed the program of keeping them in separate rooms for two weeks
and giving them one another's sleeping towels to get used to the
scents, but within days, Jack had escaped his room and made his own
introduction.

They have been best friends from that point on, and if you saw them
together, you would swear they were litter mates. It's as if they were
always a team. The boys, the twins, the BOOKENDS.

Today, Jack and Dmitri are as much a pair as Laurel and Hardy. They do
everything together: sleep, eat (even sharing plates, just because they
like to do it), play and watch the birds from their window. Sometimes
it's as if they are joined at the hip. And mutual groomfests are a
daily event. (It still often brings a tear to my eye to watch them lick
each other with so much love...these two boys just ADORE one another!)

Catharine loved Jack enough to make sure that he had a new home before
she left this earth. She left behind so many people who loved and
admired her, and she brought awareness of living with cancer while
keeping your sense of humor and a sense of grace.

But to me, the most important thing is that she knew Jack was happy and
that he had a safe and loving home. She loved him so much that she made
sure he had that.

I know there are many who would have wanted to know that Catharine's
journey on earth has come to an end, and to join me in remembering what
a wonderful, generous woman she was.

In Catharine's memory, I would like to ask that the next time you adopt
a cat, please consider adopting an older cat. That should be part of
Catharine's legacy, to remember the cats that are hard to place and to
give them loving homes.

Once again, I thank the wonderful people of this newsgroup who so
generously opened their hearts and their wallets to find Jack a new
home. I will always be so thankful. Jack and Dmitri are so happy
together!

With sadness, but surrounded by cat love,

Juls, Jack and Dmitri

p.s. Jack knew that Catharine was dying. I know that may sound strange,
but he knew...and he let me know. That's how I found out. He has never
stopped loving her.