Every once in a while I read something so special I want to share it. My daughter and her husband, Bob, vacated Maine several years ago so she could accept a position and they could reside in the mountains of North Carolina about 20 miles from my favorite trail -- the Appalachian Trail, an extension of ours here in Maine. Lorraine recently e-mailed me the "obituary" of a kitty who lived a long, happy life in a North Carolina bookstore.

Following is the story, reprinted by permission as written by the owner of the bookstore and devotee of Miss Kitty:

Dear Friends,

This is a sad note to let you know that Miss Kitty, our loyal friend and feline associate for the last 14 years, died peacefully in her sleep during the night of March 31.

We miss her very much and I know that many of you will miss her too.

Miss Kitty relaxing on and contemplating the book, Bird Watching for Dummies, while keeping a feline eye on you. Photo by Sabrina Kumar.

Miss Kitty appeared on our doorstep in February of 1994 after we had interviewed a big yellow cat for the job of shop cat. The yellow cat had an attitude that did not endear him to the staff or customers, but the stray black and white cat, who stood outside the cafe window asking to be let in, had a very different personality. She had been spayed and de-clawed. We assumed that she would soon be claimed by a grateful owner, so instead of spending time finding the just right literary name, we called her Miss Kitty.

As time passed, our efforts shifted from hoping that we would find her owner to looking askance at anyone who walked in the door looking like a potential claimant. Soon Miss Kitty became such a favorite with everyone at the store and with our many cat-loving customers that anyone who tried to take her home would have had a serious custody battle on their hands.

Miss Kitty attended most of our readings, winding her way between chair and people legs until she found the right lap, unless she decided she wanted a chair of her own. She often found customers sitting on the floor who, at least in her opinion, needed a cat in their lap. She acted as a paperweight on the front desk whenever she needed a people fix and quietly disappeared into one of her retreats whenever an enthusiastic customer under three feet tall began an assault on her dignity.

She loved to find the sunniest window in the store and arrange herself artfully on whatever surface was nearby. She was a very photogenic cat and many customers snapped photos of her poses. One of my favorites was her draped over a copy of Bird Watching for Dummies.

During her early years, she liked being outside and used her cat-door for her mostly nocturnal wanderings. Some mornings, we would find evidence of her prowess as a hunter, proudly and prominently deposited in a pathway. Occasionally, a customer would find her stowed away in the backseat of a convertible or the back of a truck. Fortunately, no one drove away with her, but we did speculate that her tendency to stow-away may have been responsible for her appearance on our doorstep.

There are many more Miss Kitty stories that can be told. We would be glad to hear from you with your favorite reminiscence.*

*If you are or have been a visitor or customer at City Lights bookstore.

Miss Kitty occasionally made appeals for special causes. So following her example, I would like to suggest that if any of you would like to remember her in any way, please make a donation to your favorite animal charity or to the Jackson County Library Building Fund.** That way we can all celebrate the memory of a very special cat.

**For information on the Jackson County (NC) Library Building Fund, contact Joyce Moore at the e-mail address below.

Sincerely,

Joyce Moore
e-mail: more@citylightsnc.com
web: www.citylightsnc.com

Most of us have our happy and/or sad animal tales that bring warmth to our lives. If you’d like to see your animal story in Down the Road a Piece, please contact Milt Gross.

Milt Gross can be reached for corrections, harassment, or other purposes at lesstraveledway@midmaine.com.

Milton M. Gross Copyright 2008