This is my sweet-tempered cat Mimi (also known as Me-Me). And this is her story, but first, we have to find her:

Whether it’s warm or cold, Mimi loves to crawl under the heavy bedspread on our bed. We have learned to check any bed lumps, just in case one of them might be her. Her second favorite place to hide is in our second closet used to store winter clothing and other junk.

Not too disturbed by my camera, Mimi gives a great yawn. She’s a very easy-going thing and is pretty patient with us.

Mimi and Claudius tolerate each other fairly well, except for when she likes to hide behind corners and jump out at him. She’s main source of his fur loss.

Mimi is finally awake and ready for her close up. Now, for her story. . .

About three and a half years ago we lived in Redding, CA, the “gateway to hell” during the summer. Our neighbor, Marlene, had the last large private property within the city limits. She and I got along very well and we’d often help each other out. Marlene had two cats and five dogs, two parrots and a piranha, at one point. Because of her reputation about town as someone who couldn’t refuse to care for an animal (she and I were always finding injured animals on the road), it wasn’t unusual for strangers and friends to drop animals off for her to deal with.

One afternoon, I was over at her house just helping out with some burning (something you could do in Redding) when this white van drove by, slowed down, and threw something out the window. The van accelerated and rocketed down the road to the highway. We went to investigate and caught a glimpse of a small, furry shape that ran from us and into her garage. We knew it was a cat.

For several weeks Marlene put food out for the cat. Neither of us were able to approach it, but she would watch us from a distance and if Marlene and I left in her car, the cat would yowl, ME ME ME ME ME, very loudly.

It was about three months before Marlene was able to approach the cat we dubbed Me-Me and was able to pet her. She would tolerate it for a bit and then run and hide either in Marlene’s garage or under our house.

I went out of town in October to meet some friends I had met online in San Diego, CA. I was gone for three weeks and was very glad to get home. It wasn’t a totally happy homecoming, though, because one of our cats, Johann, was sluggish and not feeling well. My first night home, Johann buried himself in my hair, but most of the night he was sighing softly whenever he moved. We didn’t realize it until we took him to the vet two nights later, that he was dying from pancreatitis. It had accelerated so fast, there was just nothing to be done for him.

My husband and I were devastated at losing him, and especially in such a way. We also felt bad for not realizing sooner that he was in pain.

Marlene allowed us a week to grieve before showing up on the doorstep with Me-Me. I could have killed her. How could she imagine I’d want to replace my beloved Johann? Wtf was up with her?

Marlene was persistent, though. Even before Johann had died, she’d been talking about taking Me-Me to the shelter. Chances of her getting adopted were pretty close to nil with all the cats there. I really did like Me-Me, but my heart was hurting.

I finally talked to Richard and he was dubious, but we finally caved in. We brought Me-Me into the house, re-dubbed her Mimi, took her to the vet and found out she was still a young kitten. She was then scheduled to be fixed, and then she was home, with us. We both still hurt over Johann, but dealing with the vagaries of the new cat and Claudius’s indifference to her, took our minds off our grief.

The first six months with Mimi was both a blessing and a headache. She was always trying to get Claudius to fight with her, and he just didn’t seem to like her. She was scared to death of the dogs and so we often let her out to roam our yard and Marlene’s. More often than not, she’d hide someplace until we called her in. That was strange seeing her come when her name was called.

A year soon passed and she was firmly ensconced in our household and part of the family. She was a very cuddly cat when she wasn’t playing. She hated being combed, though, which meant it was a chore getting knots out of her fur. I came away with more injuries than she did. Toenail clipping was out of the question.

We’ve had Mimi now for almost four years. She’s bigger, a bit heftier around the middle, and is entirely content in being an indoor cat. I believe she never really cared all that much for the outside, although she does enjoy chattering her teeth at birds and squirrels in the yard from the window.

Claudius has permitted Mimi to sleep on our bed with us, but at Richard’s feet. She’ll chase and be-devil Claudius just about anywhere, but as soon as he jumps up to my side of the bed, she stops. That’s his spot and she doesn’t dare cross the line.

A few weeks ago I had to comb some knots out of the fur around her neck. As long as I’m slow and patient, she’ll tolerate it and even enjoy it a little. Claudius got up and came over to groom her with his tongue while I combed her. It was the first time he’d ever shown her any sort of kindness.

I still miss Johann and silly as this may sound, I think Mimi came along in order to help us with the pain and guilt over his death. I am very glad that she’s part of our furry kids family.

UPDATED on Sept. 10, 2007: Mimi was put to sleep on Aug. 27, 2007 after complications from Hepatic Lipidosis could not be reversed. I am happy that she was part of our furry kids family, even if it was for eight years. She was a sweet, loving cat who was never any trouble. We’ll miss her.

Tags: cats, pets, Photography

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