Original Cat

 

Our beloved cat Milhaud passed away yesterday, December 22nd just shy of her 18th birthday.  She had stopped eating and was getting weaker and thinner by the day--we knew it was her time.  

Milhaud, named for early 20th century French composer Darius Milhaud, loved being outside but only when it was sunny and warm.  She especially liked lounging in Ann's yard.

 

Milhaud was Sue's "adulthood" cat and my first cat.  Milhaud was the liveliest kitten from a litter of farm cats in East Troy, Wisconsin.  Sue picked her out when she was only weeks old.  Milhaud has been with Sue for her entire teaching career.

As a kitten she was a true ankle bitter.  As a "teen" I remember her leaping off a pile of coolers on top of the refrigerator causing them to all come crashing down.  Bad Cat!

 

 

I picked up Sue once at her school in East Troy and for some reason the cat was with us.  We let her run around in the band room for a couple of hours and twice we had to rescue her from behind a giant cabinet.  She climbed up on top of the cabinets and then jumped into this dungeon of a space behind the cabinets.  I had to lay on my stomach on top of the cabinets holding a box down into the hole to fish her out.  Yes, she did this twice in one afternoon.

 

We got Milhaud to use her bed by strategically placing it in the sun or next to the fireplace.

 

Milhaud was known to be mean at times but to her people, she was kind and gentle (most of the time.)  I grew up around dogs and guinea pigs so being around Milhaud I became a "cat guy".

 

 

Milhaud was respected and revered by exchange students from Alex ('03) to You-Jong ('07) to Johanna 2 ('12).  They all knew they could freely pet Puccini and hug Mr. Mahler but with Milhaud they'd have to sneak in less than three quick pets.  Here she is looking rather portly lounging in the host daughter's room.

 

 

Milhaud's passing is the true end of an era that at its height featured three awesome cats running around in our house for seven years (2001 to 2008).  Milhaud was an only cat for her first year before Puccini arrived and then again for a year and a half after Mahler passed away.

 

 

Milhaud was a great car rider who like to put herself on full display in the back window or on the passenger side dashboard of Sue's old Ford Escort.  On the highway people would drive by waving to her.

Milhaud will be missed.  We love you kitty!

 

 

Milhaud

1/1/1995 - 12/22/2012