Kate

I had to say goodbye to my "benevolent feline overlord" Kate last week. I'm just gutted; she was my constant companion in writing for almost nineteen years. A stroppy little beastie with a crook in her tail, she had all the swagger and attitude of tortoiseshell cats. If she wasn't as outgoing and friendly as some, she was loyal to those she included in her pride. She'd been failing for a while, getting increasingly creaky, blind, a little deaf, a little mental, but she was still playing with her catnip mousie, demanding her evening treat, and nudging me when it was time to go to work, stop work, turn on the fireplace, scratch her chin. Until last Tuesday, and when we got her tests back on Wednesday, we knew it was time. So we spent the day by the fire, I gave her her pain medicine and bits of Cheetos (she loved them and, even at 18+, would bowl me over trying to get at them). The next morning, we took her to the vet, (with whom she had a rocky relationship, to put it politely), who was great.

Some of you met Kate as she added to my typing in IM chats; Toni Kelner's daughters created a series of action-packed manga-style adventures about "Col. Kate." I love that she made it into "Mystery Scene" before I did: Elaine Viets wrote a great article about writers and their cats in 2005 (see below). Kate was there through all my research, books, stories, lectures, and articles, so I guess in a sense she's perched on the bookshelf still.

Thanks to you all who sent notes of condolence. We really appreciate it.