Back in May of 2007 I became acquainted with a stray cat at a campground in the middle of nowhere South Dakota. That cat came to be known as Dakota and crisscrossed the country several times with me. During her kitten phase, she would bite my toes while I was sleeping. She stopped that after only 2 or 3 flying lessons. During her adult phase, she would fearlessly walk up to strange dogs to introduce herself. She never once caught a squirrel but she never stopped trying. In the first 5th wheel, she would jump on the sink in the bedroom, in the middle of the night, and whine until I turned the cold tap on for her to drink out of. She outlasted 2 wives and a few serious relationships. When it was allowed, she was an outdoor cat, doing what outdoor cats love to do. When I discovered that she’d lost quite a few teeth, she became an indoor cat. Eventually, she even became a lap cat although I didn’t think that would ever happen. She crossed over the rainbow bridge peacefully the afternoon of 7/6/23. I may get another rescue cat in the future but I’m not sure I’ll ever have a better cat.

And last but not least, Dakota the watch cat.