Penelope

Penelope was supposed to be John's cat. Back in 2008 we were planning our wedding and had talked about getting a friend for my cat Socrates. When we went to look at the cats up for adoption at the pet store, this beautiful kitten looked up at us from her cage. But when we went to get someone to ask about adopting her, they didn't know which cat we were talking about. It couldn't be that one. That cat never came out of hiding. People looking for a cat never knew there was a cat in that cage. We decided she had chosen us. 

John's new apartment didn't allow pets, so Penelope moved in with me and Socrates. Socrates was thrilled to have a friend, but timid half-feral Penelope was not so thrilled with her big brother. I came home from work every day to find Penelope hiding in a new place: under the covers, between the stuffed animals, behind the futon. One weekend when a maintenance person came to the apartment while John was visiting, we couldn't find Penelope afterwards. We were so worried she had gotten out somehow. We finally found her wedged way back in the cabinet that held the heating and cooling unit. 

I used to joke that Penelope was helping prepare me for having children some day. She and Socrates got into a poop fight one morning before I left for work. She had literally rolled in her own poop while trying to avoid Socrates. The only shampoo I had on hand smelled like pears, so Penelope got a quick bath with pear shampoo. Neither of us enjoyed this experience, but she smelled nice. A lot of early parenting did involve poop, so I think Penelope was a good teacher. 

Both cats were a little traumatized when we started adding children to the family, but they learned to appreciate that tiny humans can be good for giving pets and food. 

Penelope became known around our home for "crushing it" (usually the futon) and being a beautiful kitty who charmed all the mail carriers. 

Socrates died shortly after we moved to Wisconsin and Penelope seemed to like being an only cat for a while. We did add a new cat, Nyx, to the family about a year ago and Penelope sort of accepted her. It helped that Nyx was a little more respectful of Penelope's boundaries. Also it's cold here in the winter, so the other cat can be tolerated for warmth

Penelope wasn't always an easy cat to live with, but she was always loved and she had her ways of loving us. Mostly snuggling and purring. In recent years Penelope and I built up enough trust (or she was so old and tired she didn't care) that she would let me tote her upstairs to sleep in our bed. She could get up and down the stairs on her own until recently, but seemed to forget that she liked the upstairs too until we reminded her. 

After a dramatic decline in health earlier this summer due to kidney disease and possibly cancer, Penelope lived out her final days crushing the futon, getting lots of pets, and purring on her people.