R.I.P. Matilda (May 26, 2002 - October 20, 2012)

I adopted Matilda in 2005 at 2 1/2 years old, and she expired of a pancreatic tumor in 2012. She was a beautiful long hair tortoiseshell with intelligent green eyes and the softest fur. She was inquisitive and feared only barking dogs and loud noises. She had the largest vocabulary of any cat I've known, and when we were travelling with her, she swore at Steve when he drove faster than she liked.

She was also a different cat at night, and would be aggressive and fierce. We said that she was afraid of the dark. I'm not sure what it was, but in the middle of the night she would meow like a kitten, then leap as high as she could to bite me. I slept with weights at my bedroom door.



She mellowed a bit when we moved to Pennsylvania. We eventually found a solution to the night aggression. She had her own room, with a litter box and her food. And when we started to see that certain light in her eyes, it was off to bed for her.



She had multiple health issues: asthma, kidney problems, diabetes, and eventually a pancreatic tumor that shrunk her to half her size and diminished her feistiness. Despite all of the troubles we had, I missed her dearly when she was gone.