A Birder's Life for Me

We said our goodbyes to Tink this week.  At 19 years and 4 months, she had come full circle from the tiny kitten Crystal's sister found in a box with a Pomeranian on the doorstep of the local SPCA.  We called her 'Itty Bitty Kitty' or 'IBK' as she literally fit in the palm of your hand.  She spent her first couple of years sleeping under son Nick's car bed at night.  She never hit 10 pounds.

Tink was a well-traveled cat, having lived in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and finally, Florida.  She was the sweetest little cat until you tried to pet her.  

She was once put under house arrest by the Union County, NC police for two weeks after sending me to the emergency room with a hand bite.  There was never any doubt that Tink was Crystal's kitty and Crystal was Tink's human.

It took Tink about 13 years to catch her first mouse.  I was especially happy with this development as her new nightly pastime of mouse-hunting in the garage provided an adequate diversion from my hand for awhile.

Henry has been asking each day, "Where is Tink?"   Some day he will learn about the circle of life.  For now, he seems content to know that Tink is sleeping under the bed.