As they grew and opened their eyes, we watched their personalities emerge. One of the babies didn't make it. We watched Peanut fight for her right to a nipple, and struggle to get out of the box they were in, when everyone else was jumping in and out with no problems.

 

When we decided to bring Fred home, I could not leave Peanut behind. No one else seemed to want her, and I loved her already.

 

The two of them were adopted by our resident kitty, Radar, and she even tried to nurse them, although she had no litter at the time.

 

Peanut thrived in our country setting, growing to a good sized 9 pounds. She loved the outdoors and would often sit on the fence, just watching the world go by. Life was an adventure, and there were no boundries in her world.

 

She was always a lover, seeming to need more human attention than the others. When the occasional fight happened, Peanut was always on the losing end. Usually, it was her right eye, that received the worst of it, and I seemed to spend a lot of time at the vet's, getting ointments for her. She also had an acne problem under her chin which required me to bathe her with a special soap.

 

When she was about 8, she developed arthritis in her hind legs, but even that didn't slow her down. She would race through the house like there was no tomorrow, going up and down the stairs, slowing down for no one. But other than these problems, Peanut was a very healthy kitty.

 

Peanut was very much my cat. My husband at the time, had no use for her at all. When she would jump on his lap, he would put her down again. But she didn't care, she loved everyone, whether they were allergic to cats, or hated cats.

 

When my ex walked out the door never to return, Peanut did not miss him. But when a new man entered my life, Peanut was ecstatic! This was the human she had been waiting for all her life. He had barely time to sit down, before she was on his lap, then onto his shoulders.

 

Having never been a cat person, my new husband wasn't too sure how to take all this attention. Peanut could never sit back and wait for him to sit down. She was right there, as he came through the door, rubbing against his leg and wanting up. It didn't take Peanut long to show this human just what cat love was all about!

 

She suffered through several moves with us, her only complaint being the confinement in the car. Our last move was in June 2001. She again settled into the new home with no problems, exploring her new home with all the inquisitiveness of a youngster. She laid out her new raceway, she picked her bed and she carried on.

 

When ET got too weak to climb the stairs, Peanut would go and keep her company in the living room. When Satie was lonely, she would go upstairs and stay with her, and when Tabu wanted to play, Peanut was there to play with her.

 

Peanut had always had a drooling problem. When she was at her happiest and purring madly, she would slobber everywhere, usually on the person that was holding her.

 

Around mid December 2001, we noticed that she seemed to drooling more than normal, but with the excitement of Christmas, we didn't pay it that much attention. She still hung out alot under the tree, waiting for the big day. She loved getting presents, and would spend hours checking through all the gifts, to see if she could find one that smelled like it might be hers.