Obituaries

My mom and I discovered Stripe in our yard in the spring or summer of 2008 and were immediately impressed with his sweet nature and very long legs. We briefly considered naming him "Legs", but "Stripe" won out, inspired by the white stripe on the bridge of his pointy nose. He was a "handsome" cat and seemed uncomfortable and scared in this new environment, making it apparent that he was not an "outdoor cat". This was further confirmed by the vet when she told us he had already been neutered. Someone had taken care of him at some point, but whether he was abandoned or had escaped, or had been given a name by a family somewhere are things he never told us and remain mysteries that he takes with him.

We invented funny back-stories for him, such as, he was the "Disco King of New Jersey", due to his lanky, dancer-like appearance. Stripe could be very affectionate. On the morning following his first day in our home, my mom got up early and went looking for him to see what he was up to. I heard her walk into my room and quietly say "Awwww!" when she discovered him curled up on my back, sleeping. Stripe could also be shy. He loved my mom and me, but didn't care for company and would usually hide when they arrived. He also didn't care much for other cats. He never really bonded with any of his housemates and I'm sure would have preferred being our only pet. He also preferred drinking water out of the faucet and eating on the kitchen counter, rather than eating and drinking on the floor with the "riff-raff" as my mom and I jokingly called our other cats.

Stripe was a wonderful, beautiful, smart, funny and loving companion for fifteen years. He went blind not long before he died, due to what I suspect was a brain tumor. I'm glad he is no longer suffering, but it will be quite a while before I get used to waking up in the morning and not feeling him snoozing on some part of my body. To the person or people who knew Stripe before we did: Stripe was ours and we would have never given him back, but just know that he had a wonderful life.

Rest In Peace, sweet Stripey love. 2006(?)-08/23/2023