I Miss You Frances Jane



FJ - summer 2009

It is seven weeks today since I last saw my beautiful FJ.  I really miss this dear little cat.  She was the sweetest of my homeless kitties.

Until FJ was about 5 years old she would
grow a beautiful grey ruff around her neck
 in the winter



FJ - 11 months old



FJ  about 4 months old

In April 2003 I arrived to feed the colony of  10 or 11 cats.  After Valentine had eaten she wondered off and a few minutes later returned with three young kittens about 4 or 5 weeks old.  She was teaching them where to come for food because she was starting to wean the kittens.  I stood watching as these little creatures dashed up to a bowl, sniffed and scampered away.  Over the next few days Valentine repeated the process when I arrived with food.  FJ was bouncy, which was a best word to describe her. She would run up to a bowl take a couple of bites and then dart off in the direction of the pile of lumber behind the chain link fence, which was her home.

December 2003
L to R -  Valentine, FJ (eating), Jet, Jag, Ollie (almost
invisible behind piece of protruding wood), and Badger

By the time FJ was approaching her first birthday she began to allow me to touch her.  She was the first cat in the colony to allow such close contact.  Over time I was able to not only pet her but groom her regularly and even kiss the top of her head. 

March 4th would have been her tenth birthday.  I miss her so much.