Fare Thee Well, Louie

Louie the cat, known occasionally as "Fat Louie" and "Lucifer," passed away this evening at the age of sixteen. Louie was warm, sweet-natured, loving to the point of obnoxiousness, and never to be trusted around the butter dish. He came to us roughly 15 months ago, after a child in his former family developed allergies, and immediately adopted us as his own. Although he battled with morbid obesity through much of his middle life, living with two other cats in a home with stairs seemed to suit him and he had slimmed down to a healthy weight in the last many months. Still, his previous weight and advanced age may have contributed to the apparent heart attack which took him suddenly. In his final moments, which were brief, he was surrounded by humans and felines, each doing their best to comfort him in their own way.

Louie will be buried immediately on our property near Mindy the dog. Accompanying him to the grave will be a measure of catnip and the rest of the meat loaf he enjoyed without permission on Thursday night.