Daisy the cat, aged 15, passed away peacefully after a short struggle with cancer on October 13, 2022.
Daisy loved her neighborhood and all of the friends she met. Her last summer with us was filled with many outdoor naps, leash walkies, and pets from passers-by.
At four years old, she left her home and decided to move into my house. She then had a productive career as a street cat, keeping close watch over anything that moved, be it blowing leaves, people, or a potential hunt. These were her glory days. She loved to follow me around the neighborhood, sleep on my feet, and get chased up trees. Whenever I came home, there would be a distant meow, followed by the sound of her collar bell.
She loved to meet neighbors and strangers. Everyone on the block knew her. She went into everyone’s house. Her favorite spot was the backyard of Common Ground Meditation Center, where she would make quick friends and enjoy long lap sits.
She enjoyed an early retirement. Embracing an easy lifestyle, at first in St. Paul, she rediscovered cat toys and catnip, zoomies, lasers, and even showed an interest in bird videos. And she was always down for cuddles.
In her later years, she moved back to her favorite place – her neighborhood. She got to enjoy life around roommates, and she was popular at parties. Her favorites were Eva and Steve.
We played a lot of games in this phase of her life: catball, get the feet, hide and seek and run away, and she had a complicated relationship with the stick toy. Her favorite puzzle was rescuing cat toys from the insides of shoes, and she also loved dive-bombing plastic bags and packing puffs. She got many cat toys and artisanal catnip from her aunt Christine.
During what would become her final summer, Daisy revisited the outdoors. Cat toys were suddenly kid stuff, and only fresh picked catnip would do. As she grew ill, she got daily walks around the house, naps under the hostas, lots of rolie-polies in piles of sand, and even managed to grab a few bunnies when I wasn’t looking.
We will miss her squeaks, her poofy tail, the softness of her fur, and the way she would lie on her back with all four paws in the air. We will miss everything about her. She was the coolest cat I ever met and 100% my favorite animal that ever existed on Earth. We had a special bond, one I’m sure cannot be recreated.
The morning after she left us, there was snow on the ground. The time we had will always be, and the rest will keep on moving. Goodbye, Daisy. You were such a good kitty.
Daisy’s ashes will be scattered during a meditation ceremony in the raingarden at Common Ground Meditation Center on Saturday, October 29.