Death of a best friend

It is with extreme sadness that I report the death of my cat Moe. He died somewhere between 0030 hr and 0115 hr this morning. As near as I can determine from Emily's notes Moe entered our lives in Fall 97. I was working on a mower when this white half grown kitten appeared at the garage door and demanded entry. Claimed he lived here. Since we already had two female cats Emily and I ignored the request no matter how friendly the cat seemed.



He didn't leave. Just sat there at our door and complained. Two days later during a rain storm we finally relented and let him in. One of our best decisions ever.



Moe with a little adjustment soon fit right into the house and made himself completely at home.



At one point Moe climbed to an amazing 22 pounds in weight.



He was a superb hunter. Emily's word to describe Moe being on the trail of a mouse was 'relentless.' It's true. Over the decades I have seen him drag home for my inspection mice, moles, rabbits, snakes, birds, groundhog, and once even a tiny fawn as big as he was. During his life time there were no mice, spiders, very few flies or even grasshoppers residing in my house. A few tried, but they soon met Moe.



Moe's attitude towards the other animals was grudging trust without taking any BS. Initially when we adopted our dog Sassy, Moe attacked it on sight (making poor Sassy run out of the room). However, once Moe realized Sassy was not hostile he accepted her and would share sleeping space with her. Whether she liked the idea or not. :)



Both of the female cats liked him. When we adopted Herby in 04 and Herby tested Moe's authority, Moe let him know in no uncertain terms that Moe ruled the nest. After getting stitched up and returning from the animal hospital Herby never challenged Moe again and peace reigned.