Hermes: The Cat with the Expressive Voice
and the Marvelous Tail (2006-2009)

He wasn't yet 3 years old.

One of our guest kitties had to be euthanized today after being diagnosed, a couple of weeks ago, with FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). He had been thin but now he was clearly failing. One eye had filled with blood and the other was starting to. He ate a little and slept a lot.

Cheese sometimes sat with Hermes.

Hermes was one of my older daughter's 4 cats who are currently living here with our 3 cats. He had adopted my wife and was her constant companion.

Hermes had the most remarkable voice and the largest vocabulary of any cat I've ever met. "Hello" could go on for 30 seconds as he modulated up and down the scale, adding little flourishes here and there for good measure.

When he came into my room, Hermes always avoided the floor. Jumping onto a floor-model radio, he would stroll across an encyclopedia case, walk along a bookshelf, and leap onto the computer desk.

One of his favorite spots was on an old floor-model radio.

By mid 2009, he could still walk a little, but slowly, and he weighed less than 5 pounds.

On 10 August 2009, we gave Hermes the only thing we could give him, a "good death"; he went quietly, with his people around him, peacefully and without pain. We shed tears, but we will remember the little kitty with the marvelous voice and the extarordinarily long tail.

The other cats will probably all test positive for the coronavirus that causes FIP. Fortunately, the incubation period is long, so we're hoping that the rest of the herd will live out their normal lives.