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
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
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
Mannahatta's Simon
February 10, 2001- July 18, 2007
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
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 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
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
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 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 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.
TICA CH, CFA CH, AACE SGC, NAW, RW, CFF CH Croton Harpswell of Mannahatta
July 17, 2003 - July 20, 2010
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.
Mannahatta's Bentley
December 15, 2003 - January 18, 2011
Sweet, affectionate, and outgoing, Bentley was the beloved feline companion of Adrienne Rich and her other Mannahatta cat, Dakotah, both of whom mourn his sudden passing.
TICA SGC, RW ,CFA GP, AACE SGC, NAW, RW, CFF CH KittyUp Starbuck of Mannahatta
January 13, 1996 - April 25, 2011
The first, the best -(though they are all really best) - the only: GP/SGC, RW/SGC, NAW, RW/CH KittyUp Starbuck of Mannahatta. He was our first Maine Coon, and he filled our lives and hearts for 15.5 years. "Boo" was inimitable. In his youth and even until three months ago wwith the onset of cancer, he was sleek and handsome, aristocratic and imperious. Starbuck was the undisputed King of our cattery. He demanded and received homage; he was a gourmand, a sophisticated traveler, a showman! He loved to ride back from the ring on Greg's shoulders, Radames in the Triumphal Procession. He suffered no fools, neither judges he disliked nor kittens behaving with silliness. One swipe of his large white mitted smoke paw, and the issue was settled. He lived with dignity and relish to a ripe old age, inducted into the Maine Coon Methusalah Club on his fifteenth birthday.
I shall not forget how he helped me through my first wedding anniversary without Greg. Together, we took a room at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Greg's and my favorite celebration spot. Starbuck found the accommodations to his liking - a five-paw rating on the treats and room service - and he was especially thrilled with the catnip mat I bought him from the shop.
When Dr. Anne and I helped him cross the Rainbow Bridge on the morning of April 25, 2011, he rested on that very mat and laid his head on my hand before slipping away.
As gently as the fog had rolled in the day before at Potts Point at the very moment I had come to place Easter flowers for Greg, I felt enfolded in the msit, aware of a comforting presence, a pull from a far away place. I thought of Carl Sandburg's poem:
The fog comes on little cat feet
It sits looking at the harbor ...on silent haunches
And then moves on.
Starbuck has now moved on. He was out once and forever King!
AACE SGC, NAW, RW Wotan of Mannahatta aka Friskie
? 1996 - May 7, 2011
Friskie's story is like no other: from street stray to Best in Show, Supreme Grand Champion Household Pet, National and Regional Winner, Dean of Friskie's Feline Finishing School, beloved mentor of all our rescues, ambassador for Household ets. Friskie embodied courage, dignity, and love. Abused as a young cat struggling on the streets of North Bergen, NJ, he lost his eye, but won our hearts. With the help of our neighbor who found him, we took him in, and together nursed him into a fat, sleek, proud feline. He came to live with Greg and me when we built him his own quarters and took in his three ladies, as well. Sappho. Callista, and Ondine became his devoted companions and miss him sorely. We showed him for eight years as a Household Pet, and he won every title he could, but most of all, he loved the attention. He purred and purred and head butted the judges and spectators; he posed patiently for photos, and loved to be held in everyone's arms. He adored hotel beds and cuddling with us.
His heart was that of a champion and a hero. He was a tough survivor, both in his difficult beginning and his diminished ending -- weak from kidney failure. He tried to hang on, but accepted that he could not. He purred himself "to sleep" in my arms -- no fear, only forgiveness, trust, gratitude for a life well lived.
Perhaps across that Rainbow Bridge, he is now once again sleek, fat, whole, reunited with Minuit, his first love, and Salome, their daughter.
Callista
? 1996 - November 2, 2011
Callista and her mother, Sappho, joined Friskie's Feline Finishing School when Callista was only a kitten, and she lived happily in North Bergen and then here in Maine, a great favorite of her haer father, Friskie. Healthy and active until a day before her death at fourteen years old on November 2, 2011, Callista was felled by acute kidney failure . Sinking fast, I helped her cross the Rainbow Bridge, where I know she gambols again with Friskie, her dad. Among the most poignant memories of Callista is the day, when as yet a feral in our backyard, she froliced in the autumn leaves on a crisp, beautiful day like the one on which she tranistioned. Each time I built a pile of leaves, she pounced into it scattering them to the winds, her saucer green eyes merrily twinkling.
May you ever frolic in the autumn leaves, sweet lady!
Grover
8/21/05- January 3(?), 2012
Grover passed away prematurely after a year-long illness, leaving his family and all of Mannahatta deeply saddened by the loss of this affectionate and beautiful boy.
Senior Crossings
Sadly, many of our kitties have now passed into the geriatric stage, and will eventually leave us. We treasure their memories, knowing they have led full lives.
Talulah
10/24/00- late 2011
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