Raffia

I have been told that I haven't mentioned my kitties on my blog. I have 2. Raffia and Iddle. Okay I know - strange names even for cats, but I can explain.

Raffia is a beautiful grey and white cat. She is about 13 years old. We got her shortly after we moved in to the house. DS1 had always wanted a cat. DH was at a job and saw her catching a chipmunk. When we moved in there was nothing but field in between our house and Lake Michigan to the east a few miles. Lots of mice and chipmunks. He mentioned to the homeowner that that was what he needed, a cat to take care of our garage. She said he should take her and her sister. So he did. They were to be outside cats. Never to step foot (excuse me - paw) in the house. (You'll notice that changed because she is sitting on carpeting next to a couch obviously in the house!) Because they were to be outside cats and we were really not supposed to fall in love with them, we were to call them Riff and Raff. Like Riff Raff. Their sole purpose here was to catch mice and chipmunks. They lived outside from October until New Years Eve. They climbed trees, slept in the engine of our old BMW and we gradually fell in love despite DH's best efforts. We got them a heated water dish and a cat bed for Christmas. Now Raff was a really skinny little scardy cat. Riff was big and overbearing. Riff was very friendly and loving but a big bully to her sister. Well New Years Eve that year was very cold. I went out to the garage and they were both cuddled up in their bed. I closed the garage door to keep them in for the night to stay warm. About an hour later I went back out in the garage to get a soda. I only saw one cat. I called and there was no sign of Riff. I opened the garage door thinking she had probably snuck out as the door was closing and then I saw her. She was a big kitty and slow. She had been squished by the garage door and was dead. DH had to go out in the backyard and dig a hole in the frozen yard to bury her. The kids were at Grandma's and I killed their cat! Well it continued to be cold and DH decided after a few days that we would be devistated if Raff froze to death so he said she could sleep in the little bathroom right inside the house next to the garage service door. But only if it was below zero. Well as you can probably guess that lasted one night. We decided she needed a real name so Raff became Raffia like the craft cording. Raffia became a very loving cat. She gained weight once her sister died and became very independent. I hate to say it, but if Riff hadn't died I don't know if Raff would have made it. She is a big mouth. One of those cats that talks to you and you sometimes almost think you can hear words. Now she is our princess.