Six years ago tomorrow, but on a day that only exists every four years, a beautiful cat named Remainder died, on February 29, 2000.

My daughter was living with me in 1989 with her cat, Miss Cecilia Poops, (Poopie) when Remainder was born. Poopie was her mother and had seven kittens. Homes were found for all of them, but one, so I called her Remainder, because she was the one left over, and I kept her.

Remainder was an enormous, beautiful, white cat, with large green eyes. She weighed about 20 lbs. and in the words of my sister, could go "bear hunting with a switch", but she was a cat afraid of many things, in fact, just about everything. She would hide when anyone came over. In the oven at our house apparently the broiler could be accessed from behind, not just by pulling it open from the front, and whenever Remainder was afraid she would get in the oven broiler and stay there until she wasn't afraid anymore. Cats can always find the hidey holes.

Once my other daughter came to visit. After awhile she noticed that one of the cats was missing. She asked me if I didn't have another cat and I took her in the kitchen and pulled open the broiler and Remainder slid out, crouched down in it. (She had to flatten out to fit.) She looked at us and yelled because we usually pretended we didn't know where she was, and I apologized and closed the door.

At another house there were storm drains in the street about four feet deep with tunnels running to each side for water. There were shelves up under there, too. Remainder liked to sit in the storm drains and when she was afraid and wouldn't come out I would sit on the curb by her, looking down the drain and talking to her, until she was reassured and ready to come out. (I sometimes wonder what the people who saw me thought.)

Remainder was beautiful and strange and big and active and funny. She wasn't a hunter, nor a roamer, and was usually content to stay in the yard or in the house. She was so big that she used to eat like a Roman; reclining by her bowl while resting on one arm. She added so much to my life while she was with me. I hope that I added as much to hers. I miss Remainder and I love her still.