Hodjee passed away in my arms today, Monday, December 22, 2008. She had been ill for a few weeks, but really went downhill fast. Here is a little about her life.

hodj1
Hodjee was adopted in May of 1997 from the ASPCA in NYC. Her birthday was estimated, but I guess she lived to be 13-years-old. The day I adopted Hodjee, she was the most unfriendly, shy and not-pretty cat in the place. Of course we thought she was beautiful, but no one else gave her a second look. That’s why we wanted her. She seemed quiet and well-behaved and we thought she would be a good companion to Meelee.

Little did we know, Hodjee had just had spay surgery, and was not quiet or well-behaved, just drugged. Once she was home and recovered from surgery, she started to show her true character.

chew toy
Hodjee did not really keep Meelee company as much as use her as a chew toy. Hodjee was probably feral before we adopted her, and she was a true wild child.

bag
She usually had this crazed look in her eyes, and had a habit of getting into mischief.

cracker stealer
Here, in 1999 in NYC, she is stealing a cracker right out of my mouth.

sharp side up
Here Hodjee shows off her “sharp side up” in a photo from 1999 in NYC. Hodjee would go sharp side up whenever she felt threatened. Her favorite place to go sharp side up was at the Vet’s office. Once in NYC, I warned a veterinarian that he might want to put on long sleeves before dealing with Hodjee. He said something like “I’ve been doing this long enough to be careful.” Hodjee tore into him like a tazmanian devil, and he soon had claw marks up and down both forearms. To top it off, Hodjee lunged in mid-air right at his face.

SCORE: Hodjee 1, Veterinarians 0

wounds
Here’s a photo of Hodjee’s handiwork on my sister’s hand, when I was out of town on a business trip. I warned her not to pet her too long. Hee hee.

kids
A year after we got Hodjee, we threw cuddly Simon into the mix to see if a new “chew toy” would calm her down and give Meelee a break. Here they are all together in 2000 in our apartment in San Francisco. (This was the only way I could get them to pose together).

bad kitty
On any given day, you could count on Hodjee getting herself into something she shouldn’t get into, and doing something she shouldn’t do. Here she is on the shelf in the bathroom, knocking stuff off onto the floor.

snuggler
But you could also count on her snuggling at least once a day. Here she is snuggling with my nephew Ethan in 2006.

steal dog toy
Steal the dog toy?

snuggle simon
Snuggle.

homework
Eat your homework?

snuggle me
Snuggle.

tail
The tip of her tail always looked like she stole it from another cat. And knowing Hodjee, I wouldn’t put it past her. She was a real New Yorker, with a big heart and an attitude to match.

wonderful
Hodjee was a wonderful, smart, sneaky, wild, crazy, vindictive fighter and biter. And we loved every last bit of her mischief. (Sometimes we even encouraged it).

letter
Tonight we wrote her a letter to say goodbye.

wrapped
And wrapped her up tight in her sherpa donut with her favorite pillow case, her favorite mouse toy and some of the “good stuff” (cat nip). She will be cremated.

To wrap up this memorial to Hodjee Podge, here is a video of her doing one of her favorite things: Watching birds. The video is from our years in San Francisco.

Hodjee, you were with me from New York to San Francisco and up to Seattle. In good times and bad. In snuggles and mischief, for over 11-years. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion (even if you did use me as a chew toy now and then.) You were the best.

Goodbye you crazy kid. I’m really going to miss you.

Love XOXOX

Mom