Good Bye Peter

In 1994 our family drove all night on Christmas Eve- To Provo, Utah. We arrived on Christmas Morning and spent the day with Nick and Emily, Stephanie and Vaughn, and Nancy and Kathy. During the week, Stepi and I went to Provo Craft and Novelty in downtown Provo. It was snowing. In front of the store was a little black and white kitten shivering in the cold.
We decided to put him in our car to warm up... while we shopped.
When we returned to the car, the little kitten was curled up in the back seat, sound asleep.

Stepi could not have pets in her apartment and through the week we fell in love with this gentle, fun loving kitten.
We drove home to Sacramento with a new member of the family.
We called him "Peter" because he looked like "Peter Rabbit."

It has been a pleasure living with Peter Through the years.

He is not a lap cat. He loved to drape himself around your neck like a fur scarf or sleep upside down on your shoulder with his head in your lap.

His food and water were in the bathroom. He liked to eat with company.

Whenever we used the bathroom, Peter would come running to eat from his bowl. When we were done, he was done.

Sometimes Peter would run through the house, up the stairs and down again- like his tail was on fire.

Sometimes he would curl up on top of my work, paper and books because he I hadn't given him enough attention.

Most cats have to be petted in one direction, but Peter loved to be petted back and forth, across the top, over the ears, down his full tail, and then he would roll over so that you could rub his tummy.

Peter became my best friend when Carl began to work during the week days in San Francisco. He slept next to me for ten years, five days a week.

In the afternoon, on September 22, 2009, Peter finally said "Good Bye" to our family. After 15 years, the best cat in the world died of old age.

I knew when we left Sacramento that it may be the last time we would enjoy this sweet cat. I took this picture as he sat on all of my clothes that were folded ready to go in my suitcase.

I am so grateful for the animals that we have had through the years--but I hope that Peter and Fila (our wonderful golden retriever ) will be waiting for us on the other side. Until then, we will never forget the impact that they had on our lives. They are both buried out near the trampoline in our backyard-- until we see them again. Good Bye, sweet Peter. Thank you for sharing your life with us for the past 15 years. We love you and will miss your furry shadow as you followed us from room to room....

Love, Grandma W