Zoot () passed away in the early morning hours on Monday, October 24, 2005. I adopted her as a six-week-old stray on Memorial Day in 2003, when I found her crying piteously in my driveway in a heavy rainstorm. She immediately started purring when I picked her up, which sealed my fate.

I don’t know what the cause of death was: I found her on the floor next to the couch, with no apparent injuries, when I woke up in the morning. When I’d gone to sleep a few hours earlier she was as affectionate and playful as always—the picture of rude feline health. Losing her is a blow, and I miss her. I’m posting this because I’m retiring her blog, and I wanted to let folks know why.