Kione came into our life when, really, we shouldn’t have gotten another cat. Late August, 2004 and we already had two cats. I don’t remember how Anna talked me into getting another cat. And then she nearly picked the wrong one – that’s a whole other story…

Kione – Kiki – died today.

She had been going downhill for a few weeks and in the flurry of prepping the puppy run I didn’t get a chance to call the vet. I thought there’d be more time. Kiki was an institution – she outlived her three other cat siblings, Winston, my marriage… she’d been with me through everything. Surely she’d be fine…

She was super skinny when we got her. She’d been at the shelter for almost a month and, well, her time was nearly up. Apparently no one wanted an emaciated tortoise shell cat. They estimated she was about a year old when they brought her in.

When we got her back to our house, though, she fit right in. She had a very old soul and I don’t remember any of the other animals ever having an issue with her. When we adopted Clementine as a kitten, Kiki immediately filled the role of surrogate mamma cat. They were inseparable. Now they’re back together again…

Lately Kiki had been finding more and more obscure places to sleep. The bathmat in front of the shower. Under the couch. On a flattened cardboard box. Her favorite spot, though was in the office. During my last days of work from home week last week she came in and wanted to spend the days like she did during the early lockdown days – perched in front of me as I typed. The tap tap tap of the mechanical keyboard and her warm contented purrs.

I found her in the office when we got home tonight, laying on a blanket half curled up. I bent down to scratch her ears and she didn’t move. I pet her and… she was gone.

There was a time at the River House where she was able to go out through the kitty door and play outside… and hunt! Her tortoise coloring blended in perfectly among the dried leaves in the dappled sunlight through the big fig tree. She caught garter snakes, mice, big scary bugs… there was only one problem: she never actually killed them. Usually, she’d bring her trophies in and present the dazed prey to us and drop it like “Look what I brought you!” And then the snake would start to come to its senses, and I had to figure out how to get this damn live snake out of the house!

I haven’t processed it yet. She’s been in my life for seventeen years. The tears are breaking through the disbelief, but I haven’t yet wrapped my head – or heart – around the magnitude of this loss. She was a quiet, old soul, and her presence ran deep and steady.

I love you, Kione. I’m glad you’re in a better place with Clementine, Amaya, Shurik, and Winston. You will always be in my heart.