She was 19 years old. She got into a fight with another cat in the yard and her rib cage was smashed. She was too delicate to keep going, and the vet said every breath was agony. My husband and I just got back from the vet. I keep expecting her to jump on my lap or demand I feed her then give her attention. She talked on my teleconference this morning. The whole project team knows her now.
She used to roam a lot, and never worried too much about others coming into her yard or even house. She and her sister would even let the raccoons come in to eat their food. One day, a mother raccoon brought her young to teach them to come in and get cat food, and Thing 1 refused her entry into the house. The raccoon tried backing in, but Thing stood her ground, and the raccoons retreated.
When Thing 2 died several years ago, Thing 1 made my husband walk with her every day and open every cupboard and drawer where Thing 2 might be hiding.
As she got older, she became more sedentary, and more possessive of her yard. She had a pancreatic condition that caused her to lose weight and struggle to maintain. Unlike her sister, she did not get the double-whammy of this with a thyroid condition causing the same thing. The vet told us to feed her whenever she wanted. Even when she reached just 5 lbs, she would take on all comers to her yard.
Both Thing 1 and Thing 2 had some exotic tastes for cats. Thing 2 liked Jalepenos. Thing 1 loved cheeseburgers - well before the hit website. It was always fun to think that "yes, she can haz cheezburger."
We will bury her ashes with her sister in the front yard.