 |
| Harriet May 24, 1998 - January 19, 2017 (photo dmg) |
The
grande dame of the chateau has departed. What can I possibly say? What a
beautiful queen of a cat. (Someone else said that, but it’s true.) (Another someone
else said “looks like Jabba the Hut”, which may also have been true, but it didn’t sum
up her beauty, intelligence, and kindness in quite the same way.)
 |
| photo dmg |
Harriet,
Miss H, get-down-from-the-counter-you-bad-girl, Sweetness, Baby, Princess.
The
evening I brought Ozzie and Harriet home from the Pet-Valu where they’d been in
the Humane Society’s adoption display (“brother and sister, will do best
together”), I let them loose to explore the house, and then lay back on my sofa
to watch the fun. Harriet came straight over, jumped up on the sofa and climbed
onto my head. And the rest is history. Harriet. Loved. Me.
 |
| Best selfie I've ever taken. January 2014 |
Her
one-person-cat-ness caused some to find her aloof, but then again, the
comparator was Ozzie-the-slut. We all seem aloof on that scale. Any vet that
ever dealt with Miss H was charmed by her calm, sweet disposition, and her self-possession.
Just a few weeks ago, a (new to Harriet) vet’s assistant said, “I like you. I
think I’d like you as a person. And I don’t like many people.” And H softened a
lot in her old age, in particular developing companionable relationships with
Mum and the geek. The latter was not a given! When the geek and I first started
dating and he came over to visit, Harriet would burrow under the area rug in
the living room in protest. Neither of them wanted to share. But in recent
years they fell into a comfortable routine of hanging out together in the
geek’s study as he worked into the wee small hours, taking breaks to go to the
kitchen for their respective snacks.
Audio I wish I’d recorded: lying in bed listening to the geek snoring on one side of me and Harriet snoring on the other.
 |
| "Aloof? Me?" July 2010 |
Harriet
was a cat of comfortable proportions. As I patiently explained to guffawing
non-believers for years, she had big bones. She really did! She had great big
paddle-sized paws and a barrel chest that became all too obvious as her
appetite waned over the last few months. But she did experience the world
through her mouth. And she knew that people-food was infinitely interesting; she would do pretty much anything to get at it. She had a particular fondness for
baked goods. And so, the belly…what a belly!
 |
| May 2004 |
 |
| May 2009 |
 |
| May 2011 |
 |
| May 2013 |
Harriet
had the softest coat you could imagine, and the most beautiful tabby stripes – fashion designers should do so well. And magnificent
whiskers.
 |
| February 2016 |
 |
| 2003 (photo dmg) |
 |
| May 2011 |
 |
| July 2012 |
 |
| February 2016 |
She
was a little bit clumsy, which hampered her alpha-cat determination to get to
the highest spot possible. Big claw marks down the wall under the very high
window ledge in the kitchen in Winnipeg, and more here under the bedroom window.
When I first started letting the cats outdoors, in little harnesses tied to the
back door, she headed straight for the neighbour’s tall fence and promptly fell
over the other side of it, dangling and swinging, and had to be rescued.
Harriet
loved to be held (by me, anyway). I always thought of her as a “rubber chicken”
cat. You know, floppy and relaxed and unconcerned by dancing, squeezing,
nuzzling, or just being carried around all over the place. Sometimes she would even ride on my shoulders. (I had to hunch over a bit, and move very carefully - see "clumsy" above.)
 |
| April 2014 |
Video
I wish I’d recorded: the beautiful dexterity of Harriet drinking out of the
water dish using her paw as a ladle. Here you can see said dexterity applied to holding catmint for chewing. (You may need to click to see the photo bigger.)
 |
| July 2009 |
H was dominant
(she got into terrible through-the-window fights with intruders) but didn’t range
far. She let Oz do the perimeter prowls while she snoozed on the deck or hung out somewhere close to her beloved catmint, or anyplace with warm stones and sun.
 |
| July 2008 |
 |
| October 2009 |
 |
| May 2011 |
 |
| May 2012 |
 |
| March 2016 |
Dear Harriet.
 |
"Who you talkin' to?"
September 2014 |
 |
| July 2008 |
 |
| June 2009 |
 |
| July 2013 |
6 comments:
I remember staying out there for a few days, and Harriet being reasonably friendly (although not in Oz's category), until a foreign cat got in through the cat door and there was a big Mexican standoff. Afterwards, Harriet was clearly out of sorts and didn't want to be approached by anyone for about a day and a half.
I am so sad to hear that Harriet was put to sleep. I got to stay with Harriet a few times over the years at le chateau aux deux chats. While her brother was still around I enjoyed her competitiveness in the kitchen and how smart she was when trying to get her brother's food (but she couldn't eat it since their medications were contraindicated). If I turned on the fireplace, I could always count on Harriet to come sit by my feet and lounge in the fire's heat. Harriet kept me company that same visit while I was studying for my final exams and sat on my lap (while her brother kept trying to eat the corner of my laptop).
In more recent visits to le chateau, Harriet would bask in the morning sunshine on the deck while I'd drink my morning coffee. She had the most beautiful tabby coat and she was able to manipulate me into giving a lot of tummy rubs.
I'll never forget her rare, but adorable little meow (which I only really heard when food was around), her enormous paws, and her signature walk from the T.V room to kitchen which I affectionately called her "waddle".
Auntie Krystyn will miss you Harriet; you were a lovely, kind and sweet soul. I enjoyed taking care of you over the last few years.
Such a sweet girl! I may have some pictures, too.
I'm so sorry, Lisa, to hear of Harriet's passing. I feel very sad because it was always part and parcel of coming over to yours to catch a glimpse of her at some point and I can imagine how much you will miss her. You exuded love for her every time you spoke about her and out hearts really go out to you as you remember her now. The photo and narrative tribute is just beautiful. I know you feel very luck to have had her in your life and she was very lucky to have had you.
From Sarah:
I really looked forward to seeing her emerge from the tv room in search of food in the kitchen (patience required). She was such a beautiful regal cat. She and Ozzie were an awesome pair - perfectly complementary:). I will miss her like I miss Ozzie.
From other Lisa: She really was a regal kitty, so it was amusing when she would suddenly burst into play-mode. I thought I had a photo of her from years ago, but alas, wasn't able to find it. The photos here are lovely. RIP dear H.
Post a Comment