Sweet Old Lady

Tuesday MP and I said goodbye to Jetta. We knew it was coming--God knows that cat has more than her allotted nine lives--but it was still incredibly difficult. We were able to find a veterinarian who would come to the house and help her (and us) let go. Suffice it to say, she didn't go without a fight. In true Jetta spirit, she had to have the last word.

As an homage to a cat who has brought more light and life to me than I ever thought possible, here are a few of our greatest memories. Nine for every extra life she had and one for good measure.

1. The first night I had Jetta home, I tucked her into bed with me. She was about 6 or 8 weeks old. In the middle of the night, I noticed she'd disappeared. I was convinced our really large tuxedo cat, Ernie, had eaten her. I found her curled into a tiny ball under my bedside table.

2. Jetta in her kittenhood climbed my parents' godawful 1970s-era grass wallpaper. She would climb all the way to the ceiling and then be stuck there, mewing her head off for someone to come get her down. She also managed to climb the Christmas tree and various drapes.

3. Jetta has always had a penchant for carrying toys around. From a young age she has preferred either gold strings (like those found on Godiva boxes) or furry things. She liked to carry these around and howl mournfully. She especially liked to leave her "baby" (it looks like a raccoon tail with eyes) in bed next to me.

4. Jetta's perfect meal--in no particular order--would include bacon, a burrito, Haagen-Dazs, and Butterfingers. Chicken, hamburgers, and pork tenderloin aren't too bad either. She mastered the art of swiping food off a plate, and has more than once tipped a cereal bowl from my hand. She and Lena once tag teamed the perfect food scam: Lena chased her tail like an idiot, and while we howled in laughter over Lena's stupidity, Jetta stole sausage off of MP's plate. I don't think Lena got anything out of this deal, which was probably part of the plan all along.

5. While she was still able to jump up on the bed, Jetta liked to wake me in the morning by standing on my hair and chewing on it. If that didn't work, she'd meow (m'row) until I fed her.

6. Five pound, declawed, snaggle-toothed Jetta bitch-slapping our 70 pound Collie-German Shepherd mix, Mattie, into submission. 'Nuff said.

7. Jetta has always thought she was part monkey. She would ride on anyone's shoulders who bent over long enough for her to walk up. The pads of her feet are like soft little hands, and she liked to pat my face when I'd hold her.

8. One day, when I was especially upset with MP and bawling my eyes out, Jetta walked over to me and bit me. It was like "Ok. I've heard enough. Get over yourself." It cracked me up so much I stopped crying. She told me exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.

9. I could never close a door on Jetta without her having a say in it. Jetta has been known to stand and paw at a bedroom door (in particular) for as long as took someone to give in to her. If you've ever heard a cat paw at a door, you know there's nothing quite like the sound of their paws thumping on wood.

10. No one who has met Jetta could ever resist her. Jetta had the innate skill to locate the non-cat person in the room, and sucker him/her into total admiration. I've seen many self-proclaimed cat-dislikers melt after a few moments of the Jetta treatment.

I am grateful every day that I have spent two-thirds of my life with such an amazing soul.