Back to Main Page     Back to Cats Main Page

IN LOVING MEMORY OF A WONDERFUL CAT

SASSY the "Cuddly Evil"

Jan. 2007 - Oct. 29^th, 2009
(Her life with us)

This page contains photos of an interesting cat that found US Jan. 2nd, 2007.  I was sitting on the front porch letting our dogs enjoy the day on their leashes when this young orange tabby came walking over to the porch not giving a care about the dogs.  I was really surprised that this strange cat came out of no where and just came walking up to me and didn't give the dogs another glance.  Once the dogs saw the cat though they wanted to chase it.  The cat ran for the back of the house.  I took the dogs inside then went out back to check on the cat.  I sat on the porch and was really happy to see the cat come up to the back porch.  After a bit I realized she had no front claws.  I also felt a stitch in her belly so I also figured she had been spayed.  I just couldn't imagine that someone would let her go after spending all that money on her.  I could also tell she wasn't from around here.  She was so frightened of the cars driving by and especially of the train noise.  For some reason I started calling her Sassy, which later would prove to be quite fitting for her personality!  We did ask a lot of kids and neighbors if they knew anything about her.  No one did. :)

I went inside to look for something for her to eat and get her a bowl of water.  While I was inside Gene came upstairs from the basement to put an orange tabby outside.  He didn't have any idea how she managed to get into the basement.  A few hours later Gene had to go back into the basement and what did he find again?  Yes, the orange tabby!  I was thinking at the time that there was a reason for this cat to keep trying to get into OUR basement.

1.  This cat really wanted to stay with US.
2.  She had chosen us to be her family and to let us know she wasn't leaving.

The second day of her getting into the basement Gene finally found out how she was getting in.  He put bricks in front of the basement window to block her and she didn't get back into the basement after that!  Though she did get INTO my heart and our home!

I was getting really attached to this cat just in the couple days she had been hanging around.  I was finally able to talk Gene into letting me keep her.  When he went shopping he picked up some cat food, a litter box and litter.  Yeah!  I was going to keep her!

After a month no one claimed her.  We took her to the vet and he checked her for an ID implant which there was none.  They gave her all the shots she needed, since we had no idea what she might have or didn't have.  The vet also tested for one of the diseases to check to see if she had indeed been giving shots for it.  This is where we were about to find out why the owners let her GO.  (giggles)   The vet took her to the back and was going to take blood for the tests.  Gene and I heard her meowing very loudly and knew this could not be good, for the vet that is.  When he came back, with her in her carrier, he said he thinks he knows why they let her go.  She doesn't like being confined bodily and bit and scratched anyone within range.  After a bit another vet came in to check and remove the stitch from her belly.  One of the nurses that was in the back with the vet, came in and saw the cat the female vet wanted her to help hold and she backed up and said, "Oh, I know about THIS cat!"  She did come over to the table but was definitely apprehensive about getting close to her.  I held her up so that her hind feet were still on the table.  The nurse was to hold her hind feet so she wouldn't scratch anyone.  This wasn't too bad on her as I was holding her, her 'mommy', and talked to her.  She did want to bite but it would have been me that she would have bitten.  After all was done we were told she was in good health.

In some of these photos you will see a black semi-fluffy dog with Sassy.  This is the dog of a friend of ours, Maddie. Our friend thought the cat wasn't over a year, if even that.  I felt the same way. :)

We call her "Sassy the Cuddly Evil".  For some reason I started calling her Sassy, which later would prove to be quite fitting for her personality!  Through the months that we have had her with us her biting has been curbed quite a bit.  She rarely bites me but some of the others she still does but not as much as in the very beginning.  She has come a long way and is a VERY big part of our family!  Enjoy the pics!

Today is Nov. 1^st, 2009.
I am writing this page to share a special cat with our family and friends.
--> Sassy <--
She passed away on Oct. 29^th, 2009.

Gene, myself and Alex will miss our loving Sassy.  Alex and I buried her under the Honeysuckle bush where she used to always love playing.  Alex placed with her a cat collar that she really loved for Draco.  One of our other cats.  We then placed several different flower bulbs around her from a box of bulbs Gene bought me a couple months ago for planting before winter.

I feel I was the closest to Sassy.  When I saw she was injured Sept. 10^th, 2007, her front left paw had a cut or something that made it swell 3 times its normal size, she came to me and let me know she needed help.  I know some people don't think animals can communicate with us in such a manner but they DO.  I fixed up a box for her and placed it under my computer desk and she stayed there for several days.  She only went out to use the yard then came back to her box.  I kept food and water near the box.  After a week her paw was looking much better.  She started feeling and acting like her ole' self.  That is when I discovered she had a real strong constitution and a very healthy system.  I gave her no medications just TLC (tender loving care).

A short time after that she contracted Pink Eye in one eye.  I was going to get some eye drops for her but wanted to see how she would handle it.  She slept next to me at the computer desk in her box.  Two days later she had the Pink Eye in both eyes.  I was telling Gene we needed to get her to the vet because I was getting really worried about her.  We didn't have the money to take her in even with the pet insurance.  With it, we would have to pay the full amount up front then wait 3 weeks to get 90% of the money back.  I just kept loving her and taking care of her.  That was all I really could do at this point.  By the time the 1^st of the next month came around she was all healed up!  I just knew this cat had one heck of a healthy body system to be able to fight the Pink Eye off as well.  She was definitely an indoor/outdoor cat even when she first came to us.  She lived with people that truly loved her and enjoyed her love in return.

We believe she lived a very happy and fulfilling life.

A little about her personality.  She loved going after the red dot of a pen-light no matter where we aimed it.  Inside on the walls or the carpets or even outside and even when we aimed it on other people.  She was always chasing it.  That was her favorite 'toy'!  She loved her independence as well.  She would lay next to you or on your lap when SHE wanted to.  Be prepared to get a little bit of nipping if you petted her when she didn't want you too.  She was just satisfied being next to you or near you.  She also didn't like being held.  That is why I never held her tight when I would pick her up.  And I did pick her up, often because I wanted her to get used to it.  One had to be very careful how they handled her.  Hence the 'cuddly evil' nick name!  LOL

You will also see photos that were taken of her as she LOVED to 'help' me when I was sewing!  She was always 'checking' to make sure the thread was threaded correctly or that the material was placed just right. LOL  She was also always under the table trying to 'sneak' things off the table I was using.  Thread.  Scissors.  Pieces of material left from cutting some material.  She loved laying about under the sun on warm summer days when I would be sitting on the porch.  She loved chasing the end of a string on a stick or a blade of long grass.  A lot of times we would also find her laying in the back window of our car if a window was left down.

When she got tired she enjoyed laying next to someone or on something soft.  She would lay anywhere actually.  It didn't matter to her where as long as she was around us.  Some nights she would sleep on top of my blankets between my knees when I was in bed sleeping.  Then when she wanted to go out she would jump onto the window ledge and meow and that would wake me up and she would head straight for the door, reach her paws up and meow, letting you KNOW she needed to go out.  We also knew when she wanted to come in.  We would hear the door knob rattling from her using her paws to make it make noise.  She wasn't a vocal cat.  She meowed when she wanted in or out.  She would meow when she wanted her canned wet food.

Sassy and the other cats have dry food out 24/7 but they all still love their wet food too!  Sassy was sort of finicky when it came to what type of canned food she liked.  She didn't like the food that look smashed meat.  She only like eating the ones that had the sauces and the meats were either little diced pieces or looked like they were shredded.

Sassy would usually be waiting by the driveway when we would come driving home.  She would jump onto the hood of the car and walk over to the windshield and some times would chase my finger through the windshield.  Other times she would walk to the open car door from the hood of the car to great me getting out of the car.  Some times when Gene or Alex would get the groceries out of the trunk of the car Sassy would climb up on the opened trunk lid and watch from above.

Sassy would usually be waiting by the driveway when we would come driving home.  She would jump onto the hood of the car and walk over to the windshield and some times would chase my finger through the windshield.  Other times she would walk to the open car door from the hood of the car to great me getting out of the car.  She would make us laugh so much with her antics!

On Nov. 2^nd, 2007, I just had to take more photos of her.  We purchased a new printer and after turning it on for the first time Sassy sat in front of it and just kept listening and watching that printer not knowing what it was or what it was doing.  I just couldn't help but laugh as I watched her watch the printer.  Another favorite place for Sassy, and the other cats as well, to lay near me during the day was on the top of one of my monitors.  Be close to her 'mommy' and enjoy the warmth coming from the montior as well I'm sure!  Some times I would catch her getting 'into' the things on my desk.  Always looking for something to play with when not sleeping.

Gene has a blue bag that he would carry some books in and Sassy would often be found sleeping in it or on it.

I could go on and on about Sassy and her life with us.  She was a major part of our lives and as we loved her she loved us back in her own ways.

Besides living with Gene, I and Alex, she shared our home with a 130 pound white German shepherd named Crystal, a 60 pound Australian cattle dog named Sheba and two fluffy white Angora/mix cats named Flipper and Draco.

Every day Sassy made us laugh.  Her antics and playfulness was just her being herself but at the same time filled our hearts with much joy and happiness.

You will NEVER be forgotten
and will forever be in our hearts Sassy!