Elsie Jo was my beautiful-black tortie born in late March of 2005. She was born to a western-Nebraskan family who lived out in the country. Their children had named her Midnight.
One morning in late June, while at work, I heard kittens being advertised on the radio. I knew this is what my heart and apartment needed so I dialed her number and arranged a meeting. She drove to my work and met me outside in a teal-colored van. The mother of two slid the van door open for me to make a choice. There were 4 tom kittens in the colors of ginger, Siamese, and gray. I also noticed the black calico... They were all v vocal, especially the toms.
I asked the Mom which one of them was the most affectionate. She responded, “The female...”
For a long moment I thought about it and had made my decision... She asked me, “Which one do you want?”
“The female...” I announced.
“The female?!” she responded as if she’d regretted telling me about her.
The two children in their car seats started saying their goodbyes to ‘Midnight’ who had lovingly stood up to reach the little girl’s lap to share the last farewell. I observed Elsie’s affectionate nature to be v true. The little boy was in tears... he put his head in his hand, wiped away the tears, and also gestured goodbye.
I felt a little guilty... not only for the state of the children, but because the Mom’s face had fallen and the way she’d responded to my selection. Between her and the kids, that’s when I realized she had not expected me to choose her. Then, again... why bring her?..
So, I brought this little black tortoise-shell kitten around to the back of my workplace and put her in my car. I went inside to tell my dad (our boss) what’d transpired and he wasn’t exactly happy. He said I was covered in cat hair and should be home w my new kitten.
We then drove to my apartment and we put Elsie in a box to hide her as we went thru the entrance to the apartment building in case she was not allowed.
When we got her in the elevator and up to the last floor, I held her until we got to the bathroom so that I could situate her new things. She’d decided to fall asleep on the floor of the bathroom closet on a plastic bag.
For two weeks she did not have a name. One evening while my boyfriend washed dishes at my dad’s restaurant, he came up w the name LC which he said stood for Lara Croft as he was into gaming. As the first years went on, it became Elsie like the old-fashioned name... and we gave her a middle name of Jo to match mine.
Elsie was feisty and liked to pick on and chase little dogs. Her fiery-Aries nature had no mercy on me, either. A few times she bit my face because I loved to cradle her for hours. Eventually, she learned to enjoy this close time w me and we couldn’t fall asleep without each other.
Every night when I was pregnant, she curled up by my belly and I wrapped my arm around her as a religious routine. When my daughter came, I missed it and felt guilty that we could no longer snuggle; I had a human-baby replacement.
Elsie had the biggest, most beautiful green-apple green eyes in her prime. Behind them I saw the full range of “human-only” emotions.
She was by our side thru times we brought home new cats and kittens and thru times we mistreated her w human ignorance. It’s not only dogs whose love is unconditional and she taught me so much about other animals. I began to see the similarities between her and birds, cows, etc, and even fish.
As I held her lifeless and tired body tonight at the vet’s, I thanked her for enlightening me and helping me and my family become a vegan family.
In her honor, please do not declaw your cats. It initially handicaps them (it is like cutting our fingers off to the second joint) and only gets worse as they age. That is the biggest mistake I made in life and I am forever grateful that she forgave me. Thankfully, I did not do that to another one of our cats.
One morning in late June, while at work, I heard kittens being advertised on the radio. I knew this is what my heart and apartment needed so I dialed her number and arranged a meeting. She drove to my work and met me outside in a teal-colored van. The mother of two slid the van door open for me to make a choice. There were 4 tom kittens in the colors of ginger, Siamese, and gray. I also noticed the black calico... They were all v vocal, especially the toms.
I asked the Mom which one of them was the most affectionate. She responded, “The female...”
For a long moment I thought about it and had made my decision... She asked me, “Which one do you want?”
“The female...” I announced.
“The female?!” she responded as if she’d regretted telling me about her.
The two children in their car seats started saying their goodbyes to ‘Midnight’ who had lovingly stood up to reach the little girl’s lap to share the last farewell. I observed Elsie’s affectionate nature to be v true. The little boy was in tears... he put his head in his hand, wiped away the tears, and also gestured goodbye.
I felt a little guilty... not only for the state of the children, but because the Mom’s face had fallen and the way she’d responded to my selection. Between her and the kids, that’s when I realized she had not expected me to choose her. Then, again... why bring her?..
So, I brought this little black tortoise-shell kitten around to the back of my workplace and put her in my car. I went inside to tell my dad (our boss) what’d transpired and he wasn’t exactly happy. He said I was covered in cat hair and should be home w my new kitten.
We then drove to my apartment and we put Elsie in a box to hide her as we went thru the entrance to the apartment building in case she was not allowed.
When we got her in the elevator and up to the last floor, I held her until we got to the bathroom so that I could situate her new things. She’d decided to fall asleep on the floor of the bathroom closet on a plastic bag.
For two weeks she did not have a name. One evening while my boyfriend washed dishes at my dad’s restaurant, he came up w the name LC which he said stood for Lara Croft as he was into gaming. As the first years went on, it became Elsie like the old-fashioned name... and we gave her a middle name of Jo to match mine.
Elsie was feisty and liked to pick on and chase little dogs. Her fiery-Aries nature had no mercy on me, either. A few times she bit my face because I loved to cradle her for hours. Eventually, she learned to enjoy this close time w me and we couldn’t fall asleep without each other.
Every night when I was pregnant, she curled up by my belly and I wrapped my arm around her as a religious routine. When my daughter came, I missed it and felt guilty that we could no longer snuggle; I had a human-baby replacement.
Elsie had the biggest, most beautiful green-apple green eyes in her prime. Behind them I saw the full range of “human-only” emotions.
She was by our side thru times we brought home new cats and kittens and thru times we mistreated her w human ignorance. It’s not only dogs whose love is unconditional and she taught me so much about other animals. I began to see the similarities between her and birds, cows, etc, and even fish.
As I held her lifeless and tired body tonight at the vet’s, I thanked her for enlightening me and helping me and my family become a vegan family.
In her honor, please do not declaw your cats. It initially handicaps them (it is like cutting our fingers off to the second joint) and only gets worse as they age. That is the biggest mistake I made in life and I am forever grateful that she forgave me. Thankfully, I did not do that to another one of our cats.
Elsie Jo was my beautiful-black tortie born in late March of 2005. She was born to a western-Nebraskan family who lived out in the country. Their children had named her Midnight.
One morning in late June, while at work, I heard kittens being advertised on the radio. I knew this is what my heart and apartment needed so I dialed her number and arranged a meeting. She drove to my work and met me outside in a teal-colored van. The mother of two slid the van door open for me to make a choice. There were 4 tom kittens in the colors of ginger, Siamese, and gray. I also noticed the black calico... They were all v vocal, especially the toms.
I asked the Mom which one of them was the most affectionate. She responded, “The female...”
For a long moment I thought about it and had made my decision... She asked me, “Which one do you want?”
“The female...” I announced.
“The female?!” she responded as if she’d regretted telling me about her.
The two children in their car seats started saying their goodbyes to ‘Midnight’ who had lovingly stood up to reach the little girl’s lap to share the last farewell. I observed Elsie’s affectionate nature to be v true. The little boy was in tears... he put his head in his hand, wiped away the tears, and also gestured goodbye.
I felt a little guilty... not only for the state of the children, but because the Mom’s face had fallen and the way she’d responded to my selection. Between her and the kids, that’s when I realized she had not expected me to choose her. Then, again... why bring her?..
So, I brought this little black tortoise-shell kitten around to the back of my workplace and put her in my car. I went inside to tell my dad (our boss) what’d transpired and he wasn’t exactly happy. He said I was covered in cat hair and should be home w my new kitten.
We then drove to my apartment and we put Elsie in a box to hide her as we went thru the entrance to the apartment building in case she was not allowed.
When we got her in the elevator and up to the last floor, I held her until we got to the bathroom so that I could situate her new things. She’d decided to fall asleep on the floor of the bathroom closet on a plastic bag.
For two weeks she did not have a name. One evening while my boyfriend washed dishes at my dad’s restaurant, he came up w the name LC which he said stood for Lara Croft as he was into gaming. As the first years went on, it became Elsie like the old-fashioned name... and we gave her a middle name of Jo to match mine.
Elsie was feisty and liked to pick on and chase little dogs. Her fiery-Aries nature had no mercy on me, either. A few times she bit my face because I loved to cradle her for hours. Eventually, she learned to enjoy this close time w me and we couldn’t fall asleep without each other.
Every night when I was pregnant, she curled up by my belly and I wrapped my arm around her as a religious routine. When my daughter came, I missed it and felt guilty that we could no longer snuggle; I had a human-baby replacement.
Elsie had the biggest, most beautiful green-apple green eyes in her prime. Behind them I saw the full range of “human-only” emotions.
She was by our side thru times we brought home new cats and kittens and thru times we mistreated her w human ignorance. It’s not only dogs whose love is unconditional and she taught me so much about other animals. I began to see the similarities between her and birds, cows, etc, and even fish.
As I held her lifeless and tired body tonight at the vet’s, I thanked her for enlightening me and helping me and my family become a vegan family.
In her honor, please do not declaw your cats. It initially handicaps them (it is like cutting our fingers off to the second joint) and only gets worse as they age. That is the biggest mistake I made in life and I am forever grateful that she forgave me. Thankfully, I did not do that to another one of our cats.
One morning in late June, while at work, I heard kittens being advertised on the radio. I knew this is what my heart and apartment needed so I dialed her number and arranged a meeting. She drove to my work and met me outside in a teal-colored van. The mother of two slid the van door open for me to make a choice. There were 4 tom kittens in the colors of ginger, Siamese, and gray. I also noticed the black calico... They were all v vocal, especially the toms.
I asked the Mom which one of them was the most affectionate. She responded, “The female...”
For a long moment I thought about it and had made my decision... She asked me, “Which one do you want?”
“The female...” I announced.
“The female?!” she responded as if she’d regretted telling me about her.
The two children in their car seats started saying their goodbyes to ‘Midnight’ who had lovingly stood up to reach the little girl’s lap to share the last farewell. I observed Elsie’s affectionate nature to be v true. The little boy was in tears... he put his head in his hand, wiped away the tears, and also gestured goodbye.
I felt a little guilty... not only for the state of the children, but because the Mom’s face had fallen and the way she’d responded to my selection. Between her and the kids, that’s when I realized she had not expected me to choose her. Then, again... why bring her?..
So, I brought this little black tortoise-shell kitten around to the back of my workplace and put her in my car. I went inside to tell my dad (our boss) what’d transpired and he wasn’t exactly happy. He said I was covered in cat hair and should be home w my new kitten.
We then drove to my apartment and we put Elsie in a box to hide her as we went thru the entrance to the apartment building in case she was not allowed.
When we got her in the elevator and up to the last floor, I held her until we got to the bathroom so that I could situate her new things. She’d decided to fall asleep on the floor of the bathroom closet on a plastic bag.
For two weeks she did not have a name. One evening while my boyfriend washed dishes at my dad’s restaurant, he came up w the name LC which he said stood for Lara Croft as he was into gaming. As the first years went on, it became Elsie like the old-fashioned name... and we gave her a middle name of Jo to match mine.
Elsie was feisty and liked to pick on and chase little dogs. Her fiery-Aries nature had no mercy on me, either. A few times she bit my face because I loved to cradle her for hours. Eventually, she learned to enjoy this close time w me and we couldn’t fall asleep without each other.
Every night when I was pregnant, she curled up by my belly and I wrapped my arm around her as a religious routine. When my daughter came, I missed it and felt guilty that we could no longer snuggle; I had a human-baby replacement.
Elsie had the biggest, most beautiful green-apple green eyes in her prime. Behind them I saw the full range of “human-only” emotions.
She was by our side thru times we brought home new cats and kittens and thru times we mistreated her w human ignorance. It’s not only dogs whose love is unconditional and she taught me so much about other animals. I began to see the similarities between her and birds, cows, etc, and even fish.
As I held her lifeless and tired body tonight at the vet’s, I thanked her for enlightening me and helping me and my family become a vegan family.
In her honor, please do not declaw your cats. It initially handicaps them (it is like cutting our fingers off to the second joint) and only gets worse as they age. That is the biggest mistake I made in life and I am forever grateful that she forgave me. Thankfully, I did not do that to another one of our cats.
