Goodbye, Angel

One of Mrs. Roy's cats died yesterday.  Her name was Angel, short for Angelica, the bratty kid on the Rug Rats.  She was 11 years old. 

Mrs. Roy's daughter brought her home tucked down in her shirt while riding a bicycle.  Angel loved to cuddle and loved to play.  Sometimes she would hide around the corner and jump out at you in surprise.  She would arch her back and hop around stiff-legged, which caused Mrs. Roy's son to nickname her Beartrap.  Angel loved to be the center of attention and would greet everyone who came in the door, not like other cats who run and hide under the couch when company comes.  Angel loved to chase lizards and would then toy with them until they died.  Sometimes she ate them; sometimes she just enjoyed the chase. 

Angel wasn't allowed to go outside because she had a nasty habit of climbing trees - chasing squirrels, we think - and then couldn't get down.  One time we were able to get a ladder and rescue her but another time she stayed up in the tree for nearly a week.  Actually, it was the neighbor's tree and she and Mrs. Roy would each get out on their decks and talk to poor Angel, who really wanted to come down but didn't know how.  Mrs. Roy finally got the pressure washer out and squirted water up there, hoping to chase her down but at least giving her a drink of water.  She did come down a little bit and then a friend climbed up and grabbed her, then dropped her to Mrs. Roy.  She was really glad to be home after that. 

Angel would jump up in the air and catch cat treats with her front paws.  She would find nuts and roll them around on the hardwood floors until she lost it under a closet door or the refrigerator.  She loved to ride in the car but she made it hard to drive because she wanted to see everything that was going on.  Angel came running whenever she heard the can opener because she insisted Mrs. Roy share the tuna with her.  Angel had her own crystal water bowl on the bathroom sink and she sat in Mrs. Roy's lap every morning while Mrs. Roy got ready for work.

Angel is resting in the back yard next to Blondie, our beloved dog.  It's going to be sad around here for a while but that just means God gave us a creature to love who loved us back even when we didn't deserve it.  And that's a good thing. 

We love you, Angel.