Tula

Tula was found on the front porch of a friend of a friend in the San Fernando Valley in August 1999. This friend (Helen) already had two five-year-old cats and, though Helen was very fond of this kitten, her two cats were not, so she knew she had to let the kitten go. That’s where I came in.
I went to meet Tula on September 2, 1999 and took her home that same day. On the drive home from Helen’s house, Tula curled up in my lap. Thus began a 17-year bond.
Tula (aka Kitty) loved the sun and, therefore, spent a lot of time blissed out on my bed, basking in the sun that came in through the west-facing windows. That lasted about eight years, and then I dragged her to Portland, Oregon. Tula liked Portland, too, though. She enjoyed watching squirrels out the window and was very impressed by her first snow, in December 2008. And she still found sun.
Tula had several health issues — some short-term and some long-term — throughout her life, but she proved herself to be hardy and tough. She even became a good patient, taking medicines and fluid infusions in stride. Tula was a fighter, who wanted to keep going.
Tula was famously prickly with visitors to the house, but she mellowed a little bit in her final months. She did not have the energy to play in those last months, but we did spend a lot of quality time together, snuggled up on the couch watching TV on DVD.
Tula will be remembered as “self-actualized,” a little bit crazy, and very vocal. She will also be remembered for her beauty, intelligence, and loyalty. No one knows exactly what goes on in the minds of cats, but I know she loved me. I loved her back, and always will.

A donation was made in Tula's memory and the memorial was created on January 4, 2017.