I take lots of pictures of my "kids" to work, and I soon had photos of Friskie and Ashley all over my area. A co-worker who was not a cat person commented that Ashley looked "like she belonged on the end of a broomstick." I agreed, she had a bewitching Halloween cat look to her lovely face. I knew two witch names--Hepsiba and Titchiba, and she definitely wasn't a Hepsiba. Titchiba stuck as the middle name and over the years she responded to "Titchy" as well as "Pussycat", "Stinker", "Punkie", and "Ms. Thang" -- her great face and cantankerous personality made these nicknames so appropriate.

Ashley had a marvelous time at the house she adopted me at. Great pastimes included grasshopper hunting, dog teasing, and tail chasing. I split with the boyfriend and we had to move. My family condensed to me, Friskie and Ashley. We departed in my Ford Fiesta to re-locate to my hometown. About an hour's drive on the freeway. Ashley had other plans. I had put together a make shift cat box out of cardboard, and she broke through the top and jumped through the driver's window (which was only about 3" open) as I merged onto the freeway. Since the car was full of all my possessions, I wasn't sure until I arrived home, and unpacked everything that she was gone. I was distraught and angry that she had been so unreasonable. My feelings soon turned to deep sorrow that this special beauty was gone in such an undignified manner. For two months I had painful twinges of what I could've done to prevent it. Horrible images of Ashley splattered on the pavement haunted me. I put ads in the paper in case she'd survived--nothing. Two months later, I got a phone call at my mother's house; "I've got your cat, Ashley, do you want to come get her--she bit me!" The tag I had on her collar had my old, disconnected phone number. The phone company was still giving my mother's number as the new one, and that's how this guy found me. The next morning I drove off to retrieve my Ashley. I'll never forget the look in her eyes as I knocked on the door of her finder's apartment. I'm sure I heard the words "I remember you." I've never seen such a look of love.

From then on, I referred to Ashley as my "little miracle". We moved an additional 6 times after that. She fell in love with the man I married, and we joked about how Ashley said she was going to marry her dad when she grew up. We settled on the Northern California Coast, and Ashley's last 8 years have been in our wonderful, sunny house by the ocean. Her happy family included Mom (me), Friskie, and (her favorite) Daddy. The best days were spent hunting gophers in the front yard, or chasing the ball that Mommy would throw. Friskie was the boss so they had to do as she said. As much friction as there was between those two, they knew they belonged together and loved each other.

Friskie fell victim to Cancer of the lungs and died on December 2,1995. Her horrible death took it's toll on Ashley, and after 14 years of being the recipient of Friskie's head bonks, she found herself not knowing what to do without a boss. It was May of 1996 when I suspected something was wrong. The vet confirmed Kidney failure in June. We tried subcutaneous treatments, and though she sat still for them, they made her afraid of us, and she would cower in fear when she saw us. Her "lows" were awful. She would begin to quiver on the worst days, the vet thought it was a muscular problem associated with the progression of Kidney failure. Her weight dropped from 13 to 9.6 lbs. Ashley was spending about 20 hours a day sleeping, and not ever moving from the "spot du jour" where she settled. She would vomit up bile, and scream horribly before she did. Her appetite was tiny, sometimes she threw up what she ate. On her last day, she did not eat or drink. Her shaking was so bad, it kept her from sleeping. She was irritable and seemed tired of life.

On July 13, 1997, Ashley was euthanized at home. There was no pain. We take comfort in knowing that she and Friskie are together again. I have both of their ashes in matching urns on our headboard. We miss our girls. Though we need time to heal, I know that if another cat is meant to come into our lives, it will materialize, just like Ashley did to me all those years ago. When I look at their pictures I find myself smiling from ear to ear. I thank God for having allowed me to raise these wonderful creatures, and know I'll see them again at the Rainbow Bridge.