I was driving home on my motorcycle on June 28th, 1990, when I saw something scuttle up the embankment. I found Phoenix and took him home inside my jacket. He was Mr. Catitude; his song was “Phoenie-Weenie, chili-beanie, the spirits are about to speak. Are they friendly spirits? Friendly? Just look!”
Shortly after we moved into the house on Sterling Creek Road, Phoenix started showing symptoms of some disease. We were new to the area and I decided to take him to a local vet who specialized in cats. This lady was incompetent. First she diagnosed him with “irritable bowel syndrom” and told us to make sure that he got plenty of water. His condition worsened and we took him back. This time she diagnosed him with stomach cancer and told us he had a week to live. Kathy was commuting to Silicon Valley at the time so she took Phoenix down to Dr. Boehringer; he diagnosed Phoenix with hepatic lipidosis: a fat buildup in the liver. He tried to save Phoenix but it was too late. Had the first vet been competent we could have saved Phoenix. He died on September 4th, 1997.
I know that I have pictures of Phoenix but I can’t find any.