Ode to Mama Kitty

Growing up, we had a Persian/Siamese mix cat named, originally enough, Mama Kitty.  Mama Kitty came to us when I was four, and had the most distinct personality of any cat I can ever remember knowing.  Her face was something of a mix between the flat Persian and the pointed Siamese, but my mom always joked that she looked like she ran into a brick wall.  She had the most luxurious, silky black hair that she fastidiously cleaned constantly.

When she wasn’t cleaning her fur, she was hurking it back up - one of my least favorite traits of Persians.  That beautiful hair was worth it though.  She was so satisfying to pet because it was so silky and soft.  I loved to snuggle up in her hair.  So did salamanders, as it happens.  On several occasions, we had to rescue salamanders that got stuck in her loose hair that collected in the corners of the room.  We swept that floor often, I swear, but somehow it managed to build up in the corners. I’m not really sure what the odds are on multiple salamanders getting caught in loose cat hair, but we surely had our fair share of the weird little critters.

Mama Kitty lived to the ripe old age of 19, when she suffered an injury and had to be put to sleep.  I wonder how long she would have survived.  By that time, she was completely deaf but still kept her sixth sense about when a bag of Ruffles was being opened.  She loved Ruffles so much that before she was deaf, she would come running from anywhere in the house to the sound of a chip bag.

I haven’t met a cat like Mama Kitty since then, and I doubt I ever will, but she was definitely a loved and integral part of our family.  I’m sure I will miss her forever.  Here’s to Mama Kitty and her counterparts everywhere!