My cats, Gemini, Sophie, and Minx

Of all the experiences I have had in my life, one of the most pleasurable and emotionally gratifying has been my relationship with my cats. I had a black cat, Gemini, when I was six years old. She was one of a set of twins (the Gemini Twins, named for the constellation) my parents got for us for Christmas. One of the twins was killed by a dog some weeks or months after, but the remaining sister became my cat and I had her for 11 years. Though she frequently disappeared for weeks at a time, and always returned, Gemini walked off one day after I had gone to college; probably to die because we never saw her again. In 1988, I found a stray calico who I adopted and named Sophie. As a stray, Sophie had learned to survive outdoors so I never had to worry about letting her outside. She always came home. Sophie was a fascinating and extremely savvy cat, and very loving, friendly, and affectionate. In 1996, a veterinarian found another black cat for me on a farm. I named him Minx. Sophie and Minx were adoring and frolicking brother and sister and my two "kids" for seven years. In 2003, Sophie died, most likely of cancer. I donated her body to a teaching hospital, and two years later she was cremated and her ashes returned to me in a small brown box urn.

On June 20th, 2011, Minx also succumbed to cancer. He was a marvelous animal and lived a long and full life. Because Minx was born on a farm, like Sophie he already knew how to live both indoors and out. He was also an extremely smart cat and loved people. Oddly, though he bonded nearly instantly with Sophie, Minx could not tolerate any other cat his whole life. I tried to adopt a kitten about five years ago as a playmate for Minx, but Minx rejected the idea by seizing any moment he could to attack it. I had to take the kitten back.

Minx had two very funny mannerisms. The first was a sort of an affectionate head/jaw-butting to one's hand. That caused my current veterinarian to nickname him "The Doinker" because it resembled the onomatopoeia of a sudden bump or "doink!" The second was a very unusual habit he had while he was drinking water. He would cross his left arm in front of his right and "swat" in the air with his paw at "nothing." It seemed inexplicable until I considered that maybe, when he was nursing as a kitten, he got in the habit of trying to "bat" another kitten out of the way so he could have his turn at his mother's teat. I'll never know. BUT...I managed to catch him in the act a few days before he died. Check out this funny video I put together:

I had Minx cremated too. Though I wanted to donate his body to science as well, the facilities that would normally have accepted the donation were closed for the summer. So I simply ordered the cremation and his ashes were returned to me, also in a small wooden box urn, a few days ago along with a fur sample, paw prints, The Rainbow Bridge poem, and other kind memorabilia; the pet cremation company was very thoughtful and compassionate with their service. Now Sophie's and Minx's urns are sitting side-by-side, with their collars atop each respectively, in my condominium. I've included a few pictures of Minx and Sophie in their youth and healthy days below:

I already miss my "buddy" Minx, but I'm grateful to have had 16 wonderful years with him, and to have had such great experiences with cats in my lifetime.

Love to all of you, and to those who love their pets. They are like little people, and they are definitely members of the family!!

Lee