Patches was a short-haired black and white cat who was our inspiration for many of the items and ideas found on mykittysplace.com. We introduced her to all sorts of things and sought her opinion in our attempt at making sure every product we offered would be enjoyed by other cats. Patches tried on endless collars and leads even though she had absolutely no interest in exploring the outdoors. She had kitty lures and wiggle worms dangled in her face. She didn't seem to mind that so much.
More about Patches . . . she was adopted through A.D.O.P.T., Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment, in Naperville, IL on July 8, 1999. Her mom was a stray and was in a foster home. Patches was born on April 1st. Maybe we should have named her April Fools. That would not have suited her though. She was nobody's fool and I am pretty sure she thought we were the fools. We got her when she was just 3 months old and weighed only 2 lbs. She weighed about 12 lbs at the age of 10 which was 2-3 pounds more than Angel, our Maltese who is 14 years young.
Patches was definitely entertaining. We made sure she had fresh water up on the dryer which was her special place so our dog would not eat her food. Yet she would still rather drink water out of the toilet or sneak water from the dog's dish when she thought no one was looking. Too funny!
She was extremely shy. We once had a visitor in our home for 5 days and they never even got to see her. She was very good at hiding. She would stay under the couch or in the bathtub for hours so she would not be discovered.
Of course she was a finicky eater. We mostly only gave her dry food but her special treat was the individual servings of Sheba Premium Cuts. We were trying out some organic treats with her and will offer her favorites on the website shortly.
I guess all happy stories have to end some time. It is just too bad the way Patches' story had to end. My daughter and I moved to Chicago into separate living quarters. We decided that Angel would remain living with me and Patches would live with my daughter in her apartment with her roommate. Things were going along well and my daughter was getting ready to move in with her boyfriend, but first they were taking a trip to Mexico for a friend's wedding and a vacation. The day my daughter was to return in August, my son got a call from his girlfriend, who happens to be my daughter's roommate, telling him that something happened to Patches and that we needed to come right over. Poor Patches must have been bird watching out one of the windows in the dining area or perhaps she saw a pretty butterfly. The best we can figure out is that she leapt at the screen which pushed out and she fell approximately 4 floors to the sidewalk below. She had used up all her 9 lives. My daughter was due back that night from her vacation and would never see Patches alive again. It was so sad that it has taken me months to update Patches' page on the website. She was the inspiration for My Kitty's Place and the groom 'n' massage post and she will always hold a special place in our hearts. Please be sure to check windows and screens in your apartment if you have pets living with you. I think we naturally do that for children but don't think to do it for our pets.
