A venerable friend died this morning. My brother and sister-in-law (Aunt LP)’s cat, Theo, died at home of renal failure and old age. He was 14. I was the first person they called in 1993 when they adopted him in kittenhood. He was a damn smart cat, their genius kitty; as my brother said, Theo “knew how the outside was connected to the inside (though he’d never been), how to open doors and cabinets, and how to make us smile.” I’m so sad he’s gone. He was a wonderful furry family member. If you have animal companions at home, give them a little extra love today.

This is a photo of an old photo of Theo I snapped when I first moved to Austin in 1994.

Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts?

–Emme Woodhull-Bäche, translated

[thanks to Leah for sharing the quotation]