This is the personal diary of Cat Jasmine
Jasmine
December 1995- May 2006
Jasmine disappeared from the home of Bob Haozous May 12, 2006. She was last seen sneaking a cuddle from Bob while he was working in his studio. After one month without a sighting, it has been concluded that Jasmine has gone on to the other world. Perhaps she is living with another lucky family, or more likely she died in the unfamiliar terrain, the victim of a predator.
Jasmine was the loving pet of many people. Her life began with an unknown host, in Berkeley. According to the good people at the Berkeley Pound, Jasmine (or Jazz, as she was known then) was taken in by an unlucky man who was told just months later that he would no longer be allowed to have pets in his apartment. The landlord had just put in new carpets, and the policy for pets was changed accordingly. She was taken to the Berkeley pound and put up for adoption.
Dan, Emily, and Richard went to the Berkeley Pound to find a pet to make their new house complete. Jazz was shy, but captured the hearts of all three. After some negotiation, they were allowed to adopt her and take her home. It was a happy homecoming, and Jazz was quickly made a part of the family. With three musicians living under one roof, it was determined that the name Jazz was a little silly, so Dan suggested she be named Jasmine. The name was perfect, and she was known as Jasmine for the rest of her days.
A few months after her adoption, Jasmine went missing. Late that night she was located, hiding in the wheel well of a neighbor�s car. After a thorough going over, the roommates found a small cut on her belly and decided to take her to the 24-hour veterinarian in Berkeley. She endured a short surgery and the humiliation of having to wear a plastic �e-collar� with her usual grace and crankiness. In a few short weeks she was back to new again, and with the newfound wisdom to stay away from nasty, bored rottweilers. After that incident, Jasmine was extremely cautious around dogs, and remained that way until shortly before her death.
As time went on, different roommates were blessed with knowing Jasmine intimately. There were the fleeting roommates such as Suzanne, the Irish depressive, Nick, the fun-loving, scotch swilling East Coaster, and Dean, the short little skater. But she was also loved by other, more sustained friends, like Richard, Dan, and Priya. She had a special connection to Leonard, who she told on a regular basis of her love by peeing in his printer. Even after she was moved from the Prince Street house, she still loved visits with Leonard, and when her San Francisco home was determined unsafe for kittens, she was able to spend an additional few months with Leonard and Priya and their roommate in Berkeley until Emily found housing in Connecticut.
In Berkeley Jasmine�s personality bloomed like the little flower that she was. She was called �the cat-dog� by Lara, because she often acted more like a puppy than a cat. She loved to chase lights on the walls, and would entertain the housemates for entire evenings with her antics following the flashlight on the living room wall. She would cackle and cry when there was a reflection on the ceiling, another endearing trait. She was an incredibly sloppy feeder, and hated using her litter box- both qualities that would persist to her disappearance.
Jasmine had some tough times in her short life. When Emily moved to Connecticut, Jasmine had to spend a month at a kennel in Wallingford while Emily sorted out her move. Jasmine would probably mention that the actual kennel wasn�t so bad, but the plane flight there was a dark day in her little kitten diary.
Once Jasmine moved to New Haven, she was an indoor cat. She still enjoyed poking her nose through the screen windows and breathing in the fresh air, especially on clear spring days, but she wasn�t allowed to brave the outdoors, especially with all the cars on the busy New Haven streets. Emily did what she could to make Jasmine�s indoor life wonderful- their home was filled with toys, and special cat furniture, a deluxe cat water fountain, and Jasmine�s favorite Iams food. When Zander moved in, they would again spend long hours playing with the laser pointer. Emily remembers those weekend mornings waking up with her cat and her husband and laying in bed feeling like her life couldn�t be more perfect.
Emily, Zander, and Jasmine were happy together for several years before Mahko joined their family. Mahko added a new dimension of danger for Jasmine, and she learned to sneak her cuddles in between the baby time. Jasmine particularly liked it when Mahko was given an earlier bedtime, because she could then have several hours of uninterrupted lap time. As Mahko grew more mobile, Jasmine learned to tolerate his love, and Mahko learned how to be gentle with Jasmine. Jasmine never swiped at or scratched Mahko, and although she simply tolerated him, he really adored her. He would run around the house with his friends, screaming �CHAAAAAAAAAT,� and upon finding her he would smother her with hugs and attention.
Jasmine liked tidiness, and would play with paper left out, annoying the paper and making a ruckus until someone lavished attention on her. She would sleep on the one paper you were reading from, or lay on your wrists while you worked at the computer. She would wake you up in the morning with her grooming, or come and demand to be loved on. She had incredibly soft fur, and a sweet little smile. She loved to be petted on the face, but hated it when you played with her ears. Her purr was sweet music, and she was always generous with her attentions.
A few weeks before her disappearance, Jasmine made one last plane trip. This time she was taken to Santa Fe, to live with Emily�s father while Emily, Zander and Mahko packed up their belongings and moved to New Mexico later this summer. It had been determined that Jasmine wouldn�t enjoy the long car trip in the peak of the July heat, so Emily brought her to Santa Fe in advance. Jasmine was just learning to appreciate the joys of sharing space with a dog, and seemed to be making peace with Bob�s dog Bucko. Without the barriers inherent to apartment living (many stairs, internal and external doors), Jasmine started making wild dashes to the great outdoors, much as she had done in Berkeley. It was determined that it would be better for Jasmine to learn again to be an indoor/outdoor cat, so Bob and his friend Kim were in the process of introducing her to the outdoors when she disappeared. Given her na�vet� to the perils of the southwest and the recent upsurge in coyote populations, it can be assumed that her absence indicates her death.
While Jasmine�s life wasn�t as long as we might have wished, she brought a special light to all who knew her. She is missed terribly, and we experience great sadness in her loss.
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