Let the Memory Live Again....

Forever in Our Hearts


Mannahatta's Felix
February 10, 2001-June 13, 2001

Shortly after leaving Manahatta for his new home, Felix died of complications following surgery for an intussusception caused by accidentally ingesting a piece of sewing thread.  His sweet smile sparkles from across the rainbow bridge, while his memorial silver-white rosebush renews our garden each spring.  Felix was a a rough-and-tumble bundle of fur-energy, as well as a lapwarmer and inveterate purr-box, who has, no doubt, endeared himself to his fellow kitty angels.



TICA QGC, RW/ CFA CH Sarajen Mrs H.B.Stowe of Mannahatta
May 22, 1999 - March 21, 2002

Pregnant with her first litter by Billingsgate, Stowe suffered complications resulting in irreversible renal failure.  We held her in our arms as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge; we hold her in our hearts forever.  Stowe was a lady: soft-spoken, well-mannered, impeccably well-groomed, but also determined, whimsical, and romantic.  She bonded with her three "boys," Chief, Shandy, and Billy, just as she proved a wonderful mother to her ten kittens.  Mashpee, Bohdan, Toby, Ophelia, LeeLoo, Mittens, Madison, and Balthazar all proudly carry her legacy.


Mannahatta's Hercules
August 25, 2000 - April 17, 2002

Our beautiful little "baby Starbuck" from Chief' and Stowe's first litter was very special to us.  After leaving us, he enjoyed a happy, healthy kittenhood and adolescence in his new home before tragedy struck.  He died suddenly after suffering an irreparable toxic insult which produced hemorrhaging and liver damage.  We are entirely bereft.  He is survived by his sister Mashpee and his dad, Chief.

Mannahatta's Goliath
October 23, 2001 - May 17, 2002

Diagnosed at five months old with a rare feline, non-heritable liver anomaly, a portal systemic shunt, Goliath, aka "Goofy" left us on May 17, 2002.  He was a free-spirited, adventurous kitten, a sparkling-eyed furball of energy, who played hard, purred furiously, and loved laps.  He deserved a fighting chance and a better fate! We can only hope he has joined his housemate Hercules with the angels.


AACE GC, NAW, RW/TICA CH/ RW/ CFA CH/ CFF CH Cloistercoon SunDance of Mannahatta
December 22, 1997 - May 25, 2003

With no previous history of the disease -- only what had been diagnosed and treated as mild and infrequent allergies -- SunDance suffered a fatal attack of Sudden Severe Acute Asthma Syndrome in the early morning hours of May 25, 2003.  We woke to find our Mannahatta world bereft of our beautiful boy.  SunDance was our first and perhaps best stud, as commanding as Shakespeare's Petrucchio with the ladies! His "wife" Hopi found him so irresistible, she rejected any other suitors we tried to introduce. But not only was the macho lover, he was the consummate cuddler who liked nothing better than to settle on a lap or even better his Daddy's chest.  Supremely intelligent, he never forgot a visitor to our home, greeting each as a long-lost friend.  His thirty-nine handsome children, among them our cherished Little Chief Paleface, remain his proud legacy; he sired two National and six Regional Winners, four Champions, three Grand Champions and one Supreme Grand with progeny in KC Katz, Sandkats, Quinsigamond, and Wasychigan Catteries, as well as ours.  He is deeply mourned by his loves, Hopi and Raven, and his best pals, Skrimshander, Starbuck, Billingsgate, and Chief, and all the other Mannahatta tribe.  As in the Native American tradition for which he was named, his spirit dances now with the wind and whispers though our halls and hearts forever.

Mannahatta's Enrico
October 23, 2001 - September 16, 2003

Much beloved companion of Ulrich Grimm and David Didio, Enrico passed away after a brief illness.  Cherished by his human friends for his sweetness, his elegance, his grace, he leaves a gaping hole in all out hearts--one that can only be filled by the memory of the love he received and that he offered in return.



TICA CH Mannahatta's Mungojerry of Collier aka Puff'n'Stuff
March 28, 1999 - November 12, 2004

A beautiful, big, blue boy, he was dearly loved by his humans, Linda and Charles Collier, who spoiled him as one of their children.  He enjoyed a brief, but successful show career and then "retired" to the warmth of his loved ones' laps and to the pleasure of daily conversations and cuddlings.  In November 2004, he was suddenly and inexplicably stricken with a grave illness that placed him in intensive care. The final diagnosis was that of Erlichia (a tick-borne infection), followed by with hepatic liver and pancreatic complications.  The shock of his departure and the deep sense of premature loss have bereft us all!


Shalimar of Misdnight aka Minuit
c. 1996 - November 12, 2004

She found us one fall, a feisty Momcat nursing her babies under a plastic tarp in the garden of the house we had just bought.  It was winter before we won her confidence sufficiently for her to bring her only surviving baby to us to take inside.  Not long after, she joined Sally indoors reluctant feral who ate voraciously, hid in the daytime, and stared longingly into the moonlight.  Slowly, she socialized first with her house mates, snuggling in the comfort of sun drenched beds, and then with us, trusting us to care for her through the long two and one-half years of her battle with liver disease, the result of her hard days as a feral.  She kept her dignity to the last, a frail waif struggling to hang on until she could no longer, then letting us know that she was ready to leave.  Honoring our promise to shelter her to the end, she crossed the Rainbow Bridge on November 12, 2004, in the haven of her home, cradled in the love of her furry and human friends.  She is mourned by her daughter, Salome, her old love, Friskie, and by all her Mannahatta pals,  Once a quiet, sometimes phantom presence, she continues to drift through our home on a ray of sun or a shaft of moonlight.
Sleep, sweet moonbeam!


 Mannahatta's Argent
March 20, 2000 - July 2004

We sadly received belated news of Argent's death with very little information other than that he had experienced " a liver problem" before passing on.  We only wish we had been notified earlier, if not to prevent what might have been inevitable, then to share our compassion.
 We are seeking answers that will help us bring closure to this tragic loss to our tribe.


CCA CH Mannahatta's Wesson of Wasychigan
March 20, 2000 - December 22, 2004

Wesson passed away quietly in his favorite chair shortly before Christmas, having suffered liver complications from some antibiotic therapy.  His premature departure left all his Mannahatta and Wasychigan companions deeply saddened.  He had been an exuberant, social creature, a show champion, a proud sire, and as an alter, the cattery mascot and greeter.  His legacy survives in his progeny:; his two daughters produced several beautiful litters for Wasychigan, and his granddaughters will carry on the line in Canada, as will a son now living with Will Carmichael in Brighton, Ontario.  His radiant presence continues to warm our hearts and memories.


Sieglinde
May 22, 1991 - July 21, 2005

One of our two Walsung twins, Sieglinde and her brother Siegmund were our first Mannahatta cats whom we adopted from north Shore Animal League after the death of Caxy.  A quiet "Gray Lady," she has been our constant companion for almost fifteen wonderful years, eating (yes, stealing our foods) with us and sleeping on our heads each night.  A cancer survivor, she grew frail in her last year and finally was struck with acute geriatric kidney failure and its heart and lung complications. When fluids would do no more good and her breathing was labored, we helped her to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Somewhere on the other side, she romps in verdant fields reminiscent of her Paumanok birthplace, young and joyous again, where, like her Norse namesake, she unites Love and Spring.
Vereint Liebe und Lenz!



Mannahatta's Truffle
January 6, 2000 - October 31, 2005

A supersized cat, described by his "Mom" Astrid Spina, as thirty-two pounds of love and sweetness, Truffle sadly collapsed at home and after efforts to stabilize him proved futile, the painful decision to let him cross was made.  He brought the Spinas much joy, and they are bereft, as are his Mannahatta tribesman, especially his full brother, Mannahatta's Billingsgate.

Mannahatta's Casey
August 26, 2004 - April 1, 2006
casey@6mo
Too young and full of life, Casey succumbed to a stealthy cancer which caught everyone by surprise, still searching for answers.  A big, playful, happy, loving and beloved girl, she has left a void in all of our lives.  She is mourned by her family, the Heaneys, and their other feline friends, as well as her parents Moosebec and Harpswell and all the Mannahatta cats.

Mannahatta's Pushkin
  November 28, 2005- August 22, 2006
woody@12 wks
Pushkin, so gregarious and so beloved, passed away quietly in his sleep on a sunny afternoon, only two weeks after he had undergone a complete series of  pro-active health screenings, including cardiac, which had all come up clean.  In the absence of a necropsy, we are all at a loss as to explain this mysterious tragedy.  The Martin family and all of Mannahatta mourn his loss.


Siegmund
May 22, 1991 - November23, 2006
He was one of the originals and always Top Cat!  From the moment he and his sister, Sieglinde, left North Shore Animal League and set foot in our condo high above the Hudson, he was the boss--demanding and affectionate, incorrigible and mischievous.  At first he reeled from the "insult" of our adding Starbuck to our family, but soon Siegmund grew increasingly more sanguine about each new cat that joined the tribe, always establishing his dominance in ways that mattered to him:  by ignoring the Maines, by taking his meals on his own schedule and in his own place, by insisting on private quality cuddles and massages with us.  When Sieglinde died last year, he seemed a little lost, often calling out for her in the middle of the night, but for the most part he kept his spirits high and his step robust until the end.  Siegmund viewed obstacles to his will as mere challenges.  He approached them at some times with the soulfulness of a Don Quixote tilting at a windmill or at others with the determination of a linebacker charging a goal.  There wasn't a fax machine he couldn't disable.  Nor was there a closed door he couldn't open.  And so he did that gray Thanksgiving morning, when, after greeting us with a brief kiss and morning cuddle, he slipped quietly through that final portal, crossing the threshold to the beyond.

Mannahatta's Simon
February 10, 2001- July 18, 2007
simon@6 years
A big, snuggly, smoke furball, Simon demanded affection and gave unqualified love in return.  He battled allergies and IBD and passed away from complications associated with these syndromes and their treament.  He leaves a tremendous void in the Melanson home, mourned by his human family, his Mannahatta "sister," Sophie, and the other pets.

AACE GC, NAW, RW/CFA CH Cloistercoon Raven of Mannahatta
March 19, 1998 - August 19, 2007
Raven@1yr
It was a black Sunday when we woke to find that our beloved "Ravi" had left us.  Alerted by (Mannahatta's mystic), Chief's, frantic behavior, we found her "asleep" on her favorite cushion.  She had suffered an airway obstruction while apparently coughing up some mucous.  She was gone in a flash, only eight days after being given a completely clean bill of health--heart, lungs, all--at her annual veterinary exam!
Almost ten years young and spayed, she was now a sleek, curvaceous, mature lady, enjoying her empty-nest freedom among her friends, both the girls and the boys.  In her youth she was always seductive, mischievious, funny, and fun-loving.  She did not lose her charm in her older years.  Still beautiful and vivacious, adored by her sons and lovers, she was the gregarious heartbeat of Mannahatta.
Her once tangible ebony form is now a dark silhouette etched into our memory.
Namesake of Poe's Bird of Nevermore, she is Evermore in our hearts.

Mannahatta's Rockwell
March 20, 2000 - October 23, 2007
rocky@7yrs
"Rocky has a new home in heaven.  I know they are happy to have him," wrote Mom Danielle, sharing the sad news.  For the last three months
Rocky had been battling a non-genetic stomach cancer.  His last days were filled with lots of toys, family and friends, and , most of all, LOVE. 
The beautiful wonderkid, the big "Rock Star" leaves a deep emptiness in the lives of all who loved him.  Looking at this last picture, though,
one cannot help but imagine that he made the transition with the same wide-eyed wonder with which he greeted all of life's experiences, and that
among the stars, he has found peace.


TICA SG, RW, ICW/AACE SGC, NAW, RW/CFA & CFF CH
February 19, 1998 - May 30, 2009
rocky@10yr
In his twelfth year Shandy succumbed to the infirmities of his age.  In frail health in recent months and on various medications, he slipped quietly away on the afternoon of May 30, 2009, only one month after we had arrived at our new home in Maine.  A prince of felines, possessed of pananche, an elegant appearance, and an endearing temperament, he was unsurpassed as a showman ( 4 associations, 2 Supreme Grand Championships, 4 National Wins, 7 Regional Wins, 3 International Color Wins), and as a pre-eminent sire and founder of an important line of champions (68 healthy, beautiful kittens, 4 of whom became Supreme Grand Champions, 4 Grand Champions, 4 Champions, 1 International Winner, 5 National Winners, 6 Regional Winners).  But most of all, he was the beloved anchor of our home and our tribe, adored by his companions, human and feline alike.  His departure was too soon for one loved so deeply, and yet, as "the earth laughs in flowers" (Emerson) and the night smiles in stars, we recall the words of St. Exupery's Little Prince, about to embark on his transforming voyage, comforting his earthly comrade:
"When you look at the sky at night, I will be there on one of those stars; I will be laughing, and then, for you, it will be as if all the stars in the sky are laughing together."
Skrimshander brought us unlimited joy, and we know that his memory will echo across the Rainbow Bridge.

TICA Master Salome of Mannahatta
September 1997 - July 5, 2009
sally@ 1yr
Born in our North Bergen backyard in the first month of our residency, raised by her mom under our deck, used to sunning herself on our back porch, Sally was a little runty kitten who foraged in garbage cans, gamboled in our garden, and was finally deposited by her mother, Minuit, on our doorstep one frigid January afternoon.  Minuit was not yet prepared to come in from the cold, but Sally, scooped up into Greg's arms and transported to the warm saftey of our bathroom, purred delightedly and kneaded blissfully the bed she was given.  Worms, infections, a vaccine sarcoma surgery, and later the devastating loss of an eye caused by a latent kittenhood bacteria could not dampen her irrepressible joie de vivre.  Sally became Starbuck's cherished sidekick, his pal and lady love, and though she loved to flirt with all the boys and broke her "Boo's" heart more than once, they always reconciled, remaining into both their old ages inseparable companions, bookends on the sofa when they were cranky with each other, nestled in an embrace when not!  Small in stature but zaftig, Sally held her own with the Maine Coons, taking no nonsense from anyone.   Named for the Biblical sirene of the seven veils, Salome adored fabric -- towels, bedspreads, throws -- anything in which she would wrap herself, then seductively begin a rolling dance to captivate her "man."  Nearly twelve years old, she was felled by a sudden septic infection, likely due to the rupture of an undetected intestinal lymphoma.  In critical condition and a poor surgical risk, we made the decision to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge.  The emergency vet swaddled Salome in plush, warm towels remininiscent of the robes she used to don to dance for her loves; we hugged and kissed her and held her paws as she slipped away, dreaming (we dare to imagine) that she was once again a youthful enchantress.
Salome, sweet dancer of the veils, you dance now with the angels!

Mannahatta's Cody
February 10, 2001 - September 1, 2009
cody@8yrs
Cody was the delight of his family, adored and pampered, a fun-loving companion at the center of the Agrillos home and heart.  In his eighth year, he was felled without warrning by a pancreatic ailment, most likely cancer.  His loss for his family and all of Mannahatta is immeasurable.

Mannahatta's Remy
December 27, 2002 - October 16, 2009
remy@6yrs

Remy was the adored First Cat of Peter and Pamela Graham of Union City, NJ.  He was a big, regal boy, a devoted companion, who brought sunshine and love to his family.  Inseparable from "his little Sister,"  Mannahatta's Tamalac, Remy romped through their condo, enjoying NYC skyline views, trips to Block Island, and all the comforts lavished on him. The couple nicknamed their kitties "The Granimals" and featured them prominently on cards and calendars each holiday.  Shortly after his sixth birthday he contracted a urinary tract infection, which he successfully battled, only to be felled a short time later -- despite heroic efforts on the part of the Grahams and his veterinarian, Mannahatta's old friend, Dr. Mecheal -- by the complications of fatty lipidosis.  All of Mannahatta is devastated by his passing.

Croton Harpswell of Mannahatta
July 17, 2003 - July 20, 2010

harpswell@6yr
The gentlest and most beautiful of our girls, Harpswell was a consummate lady:  elegant, classy, sweet tempered, and accomplished.  She produce some of Mannahatta's most stunning offspring, and she was a pro in the show ring, our only female to earn three Championships and to become a Supreme Grand Champion and National-Regional Winner.  Her sudden death on July 20, 2010 was yet another shock in an already bleak year.  In what seemed like peak health until the last, she was scheduled to be spayed in a few weeks and to enjoy her retirement.  The necropsy offered no clues, though there remains the possibility of a seizure.  In a house of mourning, one more joyous light has gone out.  She will be missed by us all.  I'd like to hope that across the Rainbow Bridge, our Supreme Lady may meet Greg and caress his cheek with her velvet paw, bringing him the comfort of our eternal love.




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