In Memorium - Bambari - 1992-2008

Tonight JD and I had to say goodbye to the Best. Kitty. Ever. My little six-toed cat lived the last of her nine lives and passed away at about 9:30 tonight. It was possibly the saddest thing I've ever had to witness, and JD are moping around the apartment utterly miserable.

So I decided I would recount a few silly memories that will make me smile when I remember her 17 years as my little furry pal:
The time I flew with her to Florida in a carry-on case, she decided in the middle of the airport to shit herself, producing a smell more foul than any polar bear could produce. But I could find nowhere to take her out of her case to clean her off. So I boarded the plane early, knocking the elderly and wheelchair-bound out of my way and bum-rushing the front of the aircraft with the cat carrier thrust out in front of me like it was filled with nuclear waste. As I ran toward the cockpit door, I realized that doing so at such a rapid pace, holding a bag in my arms, looking panicked, in this post-9/11 environment, was not exactly the smartest idea. So I screamed at the flight attendant, "Cat! Shit!" She politely pointed at the bathroom, where I proceeded to put Operation Cat Crap into full swing: I put on my latex gloves (seriously, I brought some), lifted the shit-covered cat gingerly out of her case, put her on the floor, mopped her and the case with about 600 antibacterial wipes, shoved her back in her case, gave her a couple more sedatives, and parked myself at my seat. The rest of the flight was great!

Other highlights: her persistent crapping behind the couch of a boyfriend of mine she didn't like (she was right), her ability to steal an entire pound of pork tenderloin off the counter even though she weighed only 7 pounds, her wonderful humming purr, and of course, her six fabulous toes that made it look like she was wearing a baseball mitt.

I will miss her. Farewell, Bambari!