The cat named dog is no more.

On Monday the 25th of April, 2011, Inu-chan, my beloved tiny, Japanese tiger died.  My muse, mentor and monster, she began her life with me in her birthplace of Yamagata, Japan.  She moved with me to Vancouver, Canada and a few years later to Benalmadena,Spain. She died at home in Singapore having seen more continents, countries, airports and assuredly, more cargo holds, than most human beings.

As I write this there are 18 emails and 24 expressions of condolence on Facebook.  A lot of them are from people who got to meet her and say they are glad they did.  The others are from people who know how very much I am going to miss her, even if they don't know why.

On Monday at 11:13PM I wrote on my Facebook status, "Inu-chan died suddenly at home today. I don't know what else to say."

I wrote in my newsletter yesterday:

 "Yesterday my tiny, Japanese tiger died suddenly at home in Singapore. She wasn't ill and there was no evidence of an accident. I 'googled' Sudden Cat Death and discovered it is much more common than I could have guessed and the vets seem to agree that heart failure is quite common even in younger cats. Inu-chan was 10 and a half years old.

I regret that she did not live long enough to enjoy the much deserved celebrity that would have been heaped upon her after Memoirs of a Cat Named Dog hit the New York Times bestseller list but the 22 messages of condolence received within 24 hours suggest that she had already enjoyed more than her 'fifteen minutes of fame'.

Inu was not the first of my cats to die but she will be the last. My heart is not strong enough to do this again."

With each day I find the strength to write more.  I still can't talk (or write) about her without crying but I am finding the words, and that is a very good thing.  Unlike all of the cats I had before, Inu will live on in 'her' memoirs.

Issue #10

A Day in Andrea´s Life

I don´t have a job that demands my time so my schedule is extremely flexible. I wake up with the sun and have a couple of glasses of café con leche before showering and dressing. Some mornings I do a load of laundry while having my coffee and then take it up to the roof to dry after I am dressed. I am usually out and about by noon. Some days I explore my neighbourhood and some days neighbouring towns. Most days I go to one of the two supermarkets near my apartment and pick up a few items. I get the biggest thrill out of picking up a baguette and it is still warm. The supermarkets are not open on Sundays so if I am in desperate need of something I go to Barker´s Booze and Groceries. It is open everyday and has quite an impressive selection for a shop that is not as big as your average 7-11 convenience store. I try to write daily or at very least edit what I have already written. I spend about three hours in the internet cafe every day.

Yesterday was the beginning of Carnaval and it was kicked off here in Benalmadena with a drag queen show. There were children in costumes racing around the square where the stage was erected and a cotton candy concession was open for business. I learned today that Carnaval was banned during General Franco´s dictatorship. I also found an article with great pictures and have attached a link below for those who wish to know more about this festival.       http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrcarnaval.html