RIP - David Joy 2/14/1992 - 9/14/2008

Today is a sad day. Our kitty died. Her name was Joy. She was then named David Joy because my little brother and sister were playing Double Dragon at the time and thought that David was a great name for the two kitty sisters that we purchased.

So her sister, who was named "Baby" was now named, Baby Jimmy. After the Double Dragon brothers David and Jimmy.

Joy got her name because in the car on the ride home from the pet store she was quite vocal and active... she sounded joyful... so I named her Joy. Baby was very laid back and relaxed and became Baby.

Both of these kitties were special to me because they were, in my head, the reincarnated version of two previous kitties that I'd lost a year earlier... both named Precious.

The first Precious was white and gray... a little girl that we rescued from being abandoned by her mommy kitty in Texas, from the "cat lady" in the neighborhood. Too much human scent got on her, and the mommy kitty abandoned her. So we took her in... all the way from using a kitty milk bottle to feed her and letting her sleep in a little box, on a stuffed animal, under a light.

She died a few months later from a household accident. The next kitty, we found after a day of swimming. This little Precious was a small, dark grey kitty, perched up on a fence. My heart immediately went out to her and mom said "no, we can't have her." After enough pleading, mom said "if she's still there after we're done swimming, then okay." Well we were done swimming and she was still there.

Once we got her home, dad said no. So we took her back to where we found her, and upon setting her on the ground and driving away in our van, there was a little grey kitty following our van. We had to have her. She died a year later after we moved to a new neighborhood.

So..... Baby and Joy, when I saw them, looked just like these 2 kitties that I'd lost and so there was no question, i HAD to have them. So have them we did. And Joy and Baby purred their ways into our hearts... where they've stayed for 15 years through moves and flights and different houses, they've gone through it all.

Baby looks like the first Precious - white and grey... and Joy looks like the second Precious - mostly grey.

Losing Joy is like losing the #1 kitty advocate. She was the one who spoke up for both kitties whenever there was an issue. When there was a lack of food? joy spoke up. After they were spayed... Joy expressed her discontent. When they were declawed? Joy was in high gear! LOL

Joy knew our voices, mostly me and my mom, so whenever we came to pick them up from anything, vets' office, baggage claim area after a flight, anything... Joy was the first one to speak up... loudly and consistently.

And once they were "safe" Joy was the first one to cuddle on you and let you know she cared.

Joy was sick for a while, definitely since our last move in Utah... her coat was looking weird and the vet said something about kidney failure. And even though Joy was sick, she was still active... every day when she wanted to come upstairs from the basement, she'd run up the stairs and throw her entire body up against the door. So we'd hear scatter scatter scatter THUMP sliiiiiiddddeeee scratch scratch.

And we'd laugh.

Joy loved tuna.
Joy chased and "attacked" evil twisty ties.
Joy laid and rolled over (and off of) things.
Joy was our primadonna.
Joy hated other kitties and visciously defended her turf.
Joy wobbled when she walked sometimes.
Joy's breath was stinky. lol
Joy gave kisses on your forehead between your eyes to let you know she loved you.

Joy you are so missed. And we know you are in a happier place. Keep an eye on us.
We love you!