IN MEMORIUM

IN MEMORY OF NINJA THE BEAUTIFUL:
10/04/1997 - 7/11/2009

It is with great sadness and regret that I announce the passing of my companion of these past twelve years, my beautiful cat, Ninja. Ninja passed away peacefully with the assistance of a lethal injection administered by my chosen veterinary practitioner at 10.00am Canberra time on Saturday the 7th November 2009. He was twelve years old, perhaps a bit young, as cats can often be sixteen or seventeen when old age claims them. Ninja was afflicted with advanced kidney disease coupled with liver and thyroid trouble. The only kindly option was the one I chose, as difficult as it was.

Ninja has found his rest in the garden of a good friend who also appreciates the great companionship of our feline friends. Being an apartment dweller, I was unfortunately unable to do this on land of my own, but I know where my boy is, resting beneath a certain shrub in my friend's back yard.

Ninja was an exceptionally beautiful cat. Even visitors who openly stated they did not like cats marvelled at his beauty. Ninja was a classic tuxedo cat, black and white. He had a black coat with a white chin and vest, a white chest and tummy crossed with a diagonal black sash, white stockings on his back legs and white gloves on his front paws. His fur was long, thick and rich, and for most of his life it held a healthy sheen. His whiskers were long and white, and reminded one of my guests of the classical appearance of an old Chinese gentleman. He was lively, inquisitive, loved to investigate everyone's business, possessions and doings (some thought he was more like a dog than a cat in his behaviour when younger), adored children and dogs (this was one of my main worries for his safety... he thought all dogs were friends!) and took particular interest in the contents of any bags or containers anyone brought into our dwelling. When Ninja was a kitten, my sister once watched with amusement and slight concern as he inspected her handbag for a minute, then dived into it, picked up her keys in his jaws, and went to make off with them.

I swear I hadn't trained him to do that!

As with all interactions between complex living entities, we had our problems. I can say however, that my beautiful pussycat and I had a bond of love which remains unbroken. I see him still in my home out of the corner of my eye, though he is not there when I bring my full attention into play. I still do things which I originally did for cat-related purposes (such as keeping certain doors open or closed, thinking about what to get puss for his dinner), and then catch myself.

This will take a little time to get used to.