I am sad to say that our Sarah-cat is no longer with us. I came home from work earlier this week and she was in her kitty bed, crying pitifully. I could not stand to see her suffer any longer, and when my husband came home we took her to the vet. She was down to a mere 2.5 pounds, though she had been 6 pounds the week before. So sad. I do not miss the sick, crazed, and demanding cat that she became (she would try to eat anything, from pillows, to feet, to pantlegs, and even her own feet), but I do miss the sweet Sarah-kitty that she used to be.

Dex, our boy cat, had developed an intense dislike for Sarah after she became ill. In the old days, I would often find them curled up together sleeping or cleaning one another. As she became sicker, he would not even tolerate being in the same room with her (though over the weekend I found him curled up in the cat bed with her on two different occasions.) Usually when she entered a room, he would not even stay around to compete for attention. Instead, he would hiss, and run away growling and find somewhere to be alone. One sound that always made us laugh a bit was the sound of a slamming door. When Dex could take Sarah-cat’s presence no more, he would hiss, trot quickly from the room, go into our bedroom and – no joke – slam the door behind himself. It was the funniest thing. When he was finished sulking, he would open the door and come out again.

Now I think Dex is quite happy to be an only-cat. He follows me around constantly, sits in my lap whenever there is an opportunity, and even sleeps with me. His is quite demanding now in his quest for attention, and purrs eagerly with every pat, scratch, or belly rub.