At 12:05 pm
on Monday,
the 13th of November,
Minnie passed away in my arms.
I carried her to the balcony window
so that she could see
her trees and
her birds
one
last time.
The balcony window was her favorite spot in the apartment.
It was a spot that she remembered the most
when we moved back into the same apartment
after living in Tokyo.
(Well, it was one of her favorite spots—
because her real favorite spot
was anywhere
in the apartment
that I was.)
On Monday,
the 13th of November,
I held my Minnie
in my arms
until I couldn’t hold her
anymore.
💔💔💔😿😿❤️🩹
In Memory of my cat Minnie
Minnie was born sometime in 2008 in Washington State, USA. She was adopted in 2011 and moved to Lausanne, Switzerland in 2016 with her human, Laura Howe. In March 2018, she moved to Tokyo, Japan with her human then back to Lausanne, Switzerland in March 2019 where she was reunited with the balcony with the trees and
the birds that she loved to watch.
Minnie stole the hearts of many. She was chatty and always said what she thought. Minnie identified as a small human, not a cat. If Minnie didn’t want to be part of the party, she could always be found close by or underfoot.
Minnie was a world traveler, though she didn’t care much for airplanes. When asked, Minnie would agree that her favorite place was wherever her human was, and that’s where she has been
laid to rest.
Minnie died in the arms of her human on November 13, 2023, at the age of 15, in Lausanne, Switzerland after a short battle with cancer and a year and a half of living with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The Life of Minnie
Born: Sometime in 2008, Washington state, USA 🇺🇲
Adopted: June 2011, Washington state
Lived: Seattle-area, USA 🇺🇲 ; Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵 ; Lausanne, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Miles flown: 36,0001
Brands of cat food snubbed: 44
Pillows fluffed: 2,700
Humans consoled: too many to count
Real mice caught: 0
Hearts stolen: infinite
Died: 13 November 2023, Lausanne, Switzerland 🇨🇭
In Gratitude
To Melis and Fabiana who brought Minnie sardines from a can to enjoy in her final days.
And while Minnie did not love seeing doctors, her cat mom is eternally grateful for the love, care, and support of the staff at Cabinet Vétérinaire de la Cleregère in Pully, Switzerland. And especially Marie-Line Francey, who cared for Minnie until the end.
Thank you
To the friends who took care of her while her cat mom was traveling: Jean Pierre, Vanessa, Polly the Pet Sitter, Brie, Melis, Chloe & Maurizio, Diana & Mark, Kate, Ef, Ken, Ryan, Shona, Paulina, Hilary, Nikki, and Caro.
2 Responses
I’m so sorry for your loss. Losing fur family is the hardest. Always remember she knew how much you loved her. And she loved you back. ❤️ May she live on in your heart, always.
Caring for Minnie for three weeks opened my heart to an animal I didn’t think I could really like…let alone love. I never gravitated towards cats, but that changed almost instantly once Minnie was in my home (and emerged from below the sofa).
I found that I would do anything for her, which was mostly running the bathroom faucet in the middle of the night and standing there in my PJs while she drank.
On our last night together, something magical happened. She “booped” me on the nose with her nose, and I knew it was her way of saying I was alright by her.
Minnie opened my heart and I will hold her in my memories, always.