Some sad news from our house this week. Our little orange kitty, Sparky, passed away last week. He came to live with us this summer after Paul’s mom passed away. The last few weeks, he had been going downhill. He had a long, good life – he was 18 when he died – and even though he had to put up with a puppy these last few months, as you can see from the picture below, it was clear who was the boss (all beds are cat beds, obviously).

He was an itty-bitty cat – he only weighed 3 or 4 pounds – but he was spunky. Despite being much smaller than Schooner and with the decided disadvantage of lacking front claws, he was not hesitant to go after Schooner when Schooner needed to be put in his place. He purred every time you petted him. Even the day he passed away, when it was clear the end was near, he still purred away as soon as you touched him.

RIP Sparky – you will be missed.