Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Rest in Peace, Linty the cat

On a cold night in the winter of 88, a small little kitty was found under a car on the streets of Chicago. The people that found her thought that they had heard a baby crying, only to find this poor kitten. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as you'll see) the people that found her also found that they were allergic and couldn't keep her.

Through a friend of theirs, it became known that I might like a cat. And thus a new home was found.

Linty lived with me in my studio apartment in Chicago for a couple of years and then in a bigger three bedroom apartment with a couple of friends. She loved to sit in the window and meow at passers by.

In 1991, I was leaving for the Peace Corps and asked my parents if they could keep her just for two years. They agreed, probably knowing that when I returned I would be moving around a lot and it was easier for them to continue having her living with them. Plus, they had grown attached.

Linty continued living her doted upon life in my parents large house. They even built a screened in porch, which expanded her domain. They all moved to Arizona several years ago where Linty happily passed her time sitting on a tuffet in front of the fireplace or on my parents bed.

Sadly, Linty's health had declined in the last several years and she died two days ago at the age of 19 1/2. We will all miss her insistent meows in the morning and ability to shed over every single chair in the house.

5 comments:

CatherineWithC said...

My sympathies. My college-found cat also lived 19 1/2 years, through many moves, marriage and kids. The strays are the best ones!

aisha said...

RIP linty...

Anonymous said...

Who ever would have thought that linty would live that long, especially after that bout with valley fever? She obviously had a strong will to live and very attentive people watching out for her. We are sure that you will always have very fond memories of Linty and Cinders.
Tom and Phyllis

Yvonne said...

Sounds like you & Linty were lucky to have each other, especially for so long. Sorry to hear the news.

KjK said...

Jean, I remember talking about that silly cat on a long cold train ride--or do I just remember everything happening on a long, cold train (or bus) ride? Anyway, this is the end of an era. I glad that Linty was so well loved, but I am sad that she is gone.