Goodbye Tanookie

Yesterday our door bell rang with some very bad news. Our neighbor had found our cat, Tanookie, on the side of the road. She had been hit by a car sometime overnight or in the early morning and died.

Tanookie became our cat in 2012, along with an orange tabby we called Shy Guy. Both cats were sort of hand-me-downs from my Dad who was working and away from home so much that he couldn’t keep the cats anymore. Instantly the cats became part of the family hanging out on the back porch, sneaking inside anytime they got a chance, and stalking chickens for fun in the yard.

In 2013 I could tell Shy Guy was getting old and I didn’t know how much time we had left with him so I created a stepping stone with his and Tanookie’s paw prints.

I’m so happy that I made this because now, just three years later, we’ve lost both cats. You really never know how much time you have.

What’s funny is the very things that annoyed me the most about Tanookie are the things I’ll likely miss the most. She had a habit of stalking out our doors and rushing in whenever we were carrying groceries or packages inside so we’d have to chase her through the house to throw her back outside again.

She loved to be petted, but for only around 30 seconds. Any more than that and she’d attack your hand viciously. She was an excellent hunter, but really wanted to get credit for her kills so she’d leave lots of dead little bodies all over the carport and stepping stones.

She was a pretty contradictory cat – both loving and mean, cuddly and surly, and maybe that’s what made her so fun to have around. You really never knew what was coming next with Tanookie!

We’re all going to miss her unique personality. I know I’ll probably end up with another calico cat soon, but never one quite as weird, fun, and temperamental as this sweet cat.

With love,

Leah Day