Miss Natasha passed away peacefully at home last night, a few days before her 19th birthday.
She was born July 15, 1990 in Northridge, California. She had a zest for life and was always curious about discovering new and interesting things and exploring the world around her. Her first big adventure was at 6 weeks old when she was tucked inside a leather jacket and traveled on a Harley Davidson to meet Vanessa and Perseus at their new home in Reseda. They were later joined by Cassiopeia and Chelsea, who looked to Natasha as a second mother. She and her companion cat, Percy, were together for 16 years, until his death in May 2006.
Tash had a long, full, and active life, with more adventure than many people have. She lived in 15 homes in 4 states, flew on an airplane twice, and traveled extensively up and down the west coast and through Nevada. She survived a difficult surgery following her ingestion of a ball of yarn in her kittenhood, and survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake in which her home was 1/2 mile from the epicenter. Her favorite hobbies were sunbathing in a warm window, bird watching, napping and playing tag with her feline companions. While living in Las Vegas she enjoyed hunting, catching and eating crickets. In the last 2 years she had discovered a love for sitting on her front porch and walking in her garden, and did so even in the snow. She enjoyed smelling and tasting flowers, and chasing butterflies; as recently as last Thursday she chased a moth. She also enjoyed exploring inside our neighbor’s homes (invited or not) and exploring our basement and the storage units in it (also invited or not). She was always polite, well mannered and a marvelous companion and conversationalist, and she would sit next to me on the couch daily to keep me company, and if spoken to she would always meow back on cue, as if we were having an actual conversation. She had a happy, cheerful and loving personality and was always tolerant of the other cats in the house, and helped them by washing their faces and ears. She liked the finer things in life including grilled salmon, steamed crab, a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast on Sundays, and steak, which she preferred medium-well. Her philosophies included “why lie when you can lounge”, “why nap on the floor when there’s a couch”, “the bed is better that the couch”, and “why nap anywhere else if there is a warm windowsill available.”
I am fortunate to have enjoyed the pleasure of her company for such a long time. I loved her very, very much and will miss her dearly.
– Vanessa Conley, Portland, OR