Remembering Old Friends--Part 2

It was with great sadness that Cat Lady Cynthia (Cat Lady No. 205) said goodbye to her beloved Montana last week. The patriarch of his cat family (pictured front and center above with Grace, Wolfgang Thomas, Poe, Sophie Isabel Moon, Callie Kat, and Countess Ivy Von Macula), he had just celebrated his 19th birthday on June 14.

His nicknames included Little Man, The Buddha, and Boo Boo. This was how Cynthia described him in a blog post last year: "He's been with me through 10 moves and 6 new cats. Montana is one of those laid-back, dog-like cats that loves to chat with me. He's one of those a 'one-in-a-million' cats that I know I'll never have again. I cherish every day I have with him and hope for many more. He's my Soul Cat."

This beautiful watercolor of Montana was painted by Cynthia's father. She tells us:

"My parents are both artists...My mother's work is more abstract. My father, Thomas Gaskill, at 85 is still painting (mostly watercolors) and enters a piece yearly in the Florida Watercolor Society competition & other national shows. Although animals are not his usual subject to paint, he did it as a favor for me last winter - a labor of love. Whereas it was a treasure then, it is now priceless to me. "

"Montana's presence in our home was as huge as he was in his earlier days...we all miss his Buddha spirit and kind heart."