Dear Group

I have just finished reading what I will call "Bettina's Thread" and I
am heartily ashamed of myself for not thinking to do the same (properly
introduce ourselves, that is).  What a lovely group, and what lovely
stories, and what loving pictures.

Thank you for doing it so nicely, Bettina, and setting a good example
which I shall follow, if you don't mind.  I certainly don't expect
everyone to respond in such detail as you all have so kindly just done
for Bettina.  Since I read all your posts, I feel as if you have
already introduced yourselves to me too, and now it only remains for me
to respond in kind.  I, too, have only been posting on this group for
less than a month, but like a my new kitten,  just started pouncing on
the threads and responding without so much as a by-your-leave.  You
have all been most welcoming, notwithstanding, for which my thanks.

There's plenty that you already know about my wee ones, so not much to
tell, but I will fill in a few details.  I am living in a suburban area
very near San Francisco, about 20 minutes south of Berkeley.  This area
is part of Silicon Valley and is very busy, and yet we are fortunate to
live in a house within a small subdivision with a crescent-like common
in which our house is at the back and far away from the main road.  The
only risk is a rail-road nearby, but so far, so good.

I have been a cat-magnet since I was a child, but grew up in apartments
in Toronto, Canada and so never had cats of my own until the age of 16.
Since then, eight cats, three of which were in my parents house, and
five of my very own.  Two of them were from my very young adulthood,
while I was a student...Sarah (beautiful pale calico with the sweetest
disposition I have ever seen in a cat.....lived to 4 yrs. until car
accident....<sniff>), and Caitlin (gorgeous silverish-tabby...was left
at my father's house to keep my last family cat Missy company after
Sarah passed away as both were so lonely).  It was a painful sacrifice
for me to leave her there after losing Sarah, and I was cat-less for
three years after that, still hoping one day to get her back.  But in
the end, it was better not to rock her boat and so she lived a long and
happy life with my father until Aug. 2004 at the age of 18.  Though I
live in Cali, and father lives in Canada, she waited for me to go there
for a month's vacation that August before she agreed to walk the
bridge, even though she had lived almost 15 of her years in his house.
And so I was with her in her last days after all, for which I am
thankful.  I think she was still my cat, as I rescued her along with
her siblings when I found them in a big pile literally lying in the
middle of the road having wandered from the porch of their house, at
only 6 weeks of age.  Found nice homes for sibs, but had put a yellow
ribbon on her as being the only cat Sarah would tolerate, hence the
only one who could stay.

Three years later I got Zildjian Galadriel (slinky gorgeous bedroom
cat, with long silky Balinese-type hair, Tortie & White, and chinchilla
eyes) who lived with me for 13 years until that same August while I was
up in Canada visiting my father's house.  One week before Caitlin died
up there, Zildjian died down here, we are not sure why, but her body
was found in our garage (she was almost completely feral at that point,
even though I had this cat from kittenhood...there is a story there,
perhaps I'll set up a site, like others have done here, which were all
wonderful, by the way).  Luthien Tinuviel (Black & White shorthair,
beautiful Harlequin patterns) who arrived as a kitten when Zildjian was
18 mths, for company, was so traumatized by discovering the body where
she had curled up under her favorite bed (garage is actually part of
the house and set up as an office/dayroom) that she ran away from home
for five weeks and came home to die, but did not, thank God.  Poor
spouse, who is not an animal person, had to cope with all this while I
was away.  It was devastating to hear about it over the phone, and not
be there to save Luthien, at least, if I could do nothing for Zildjian.
When I came home, she was gone three weeks, and I started making up
pictures, and visiting shelters to inquire, and then she showed up on
our driveway, missing 5 lbs and hopeless and miserable and dejected.  I
picked her up and brought her in and gave her water and no food for a
few hours until I knew she was not dangerously dehydrated and the
recovery started from there.  A couple of months later, and you would
not have known how close to death she was, thank God.  Now, two years
later,  as you read from other posts, she is almost 14 years old
herself, and is on a new stage in life, being newly treated for
hyperthyroidism, but only two weeks now and she is feeling better
already.  It may be partly because of Muezza Glorio (company can be the
best therapy for a sick, lonely cat who missed Zildjian terribly, I
think), who came home with me from the vet the day I went to get
Luthien's medicines, I found him waiting there in a little cage in the
waiting room as if it had been planned all along.  It has always been
like that with the cats I got....we both just knew that this was the
one...the meeting we both had been waiting for, without knowing it.
Muezza Glorio is Black AFG (at first glance), but really has some
absolutely stunning deep sable brown highlights and I can hardly wait
to see how he turns out!  Very Burmese coloring, perhaps, but we shall
see.  He is only two months old now.  Vet found him on the street and
very afraid, I thought he might be feral, but now I don't think
so....he adapted very quickly and is turning out the most friendly cat,
second only to Sarah.  Luthien, to my amazement, has really been most
tolerant except when sorely provoked, which little Muezza Glorio (I
can't seem to separate those names) seems to enjoy doing tremendously.
He lies in wait.  Enough said.

Well, there is my family.  I have one daughter who is 5 years old, and
has *never* been able to get near Luthien until this last two weeks
since Muezza Glorio arrived.  I think perhaps she (Luthien, that is,
not my daughter) was a wee bit jealous of all the kitty-attention going
on (I call it "Nermal Syndrome") and decided it was time to re-evaluate
and perhaps hike up the affection notch, and now daughter is in delight
in really having two new friends, not just one.  And so, life begins
anew.  I love that about life.

--tension
--in memoriam (Sasha, Meeka, Missy)
--in memoriam (Sarah, Caitlin, Zildjian)
--in vivo (Luthien, Muezza...Glorio, heh)