Joan Crawford was a lovely and elegant black-and-white tuxedo. My mother chose that name for her because of her striking beauty. She was one of The Feral Cats of Oakton. (For those who may not know, you can see the picture more clearly by clicking on the avatar and then "View Image".)

Joan was a very sweet kitty with a wonderful disposition and personality. Her soft fur was somewhere between that of a rabbit and a chinchilla. She had several adorable black dots on her back legs. She had a precious pink nose. There was a waiting list among my friends and volunteers who wanted to adopt Joan. Several of them had made plans to sneak her out of the house and take her home (hoping I wouldn't notice)!

Joan was in good health so this was sudden and unexpected -- which makes the sorrow even greater. It's so difficult to face each day now without her. She would always come to keep me company while I had breakfast and dinner.

In the words from a song I wrote for the colony to the tune of "I'll Be Seeing You": "It's so painful for me now . . . not to be seeing you."

I miss you terribly, my beautiful Joan Crawford.