Kwai Chang was our Kung-Fu catgirl, named for the hero of the old TV series "Kung Fu." She was the undisputed leader of our feline pride, collectively known as The Furz. Kwai was a fractious Fur by all accounts, notorious at the vet's office, where the snarls rumbling from her carrier resembled those of a puma. Where she would do her utmost to filet the bearer of the rectal thermometer. Where the docs would jokingly threaten to examine her in a "squeeze-cage", like a leopard at the zoo.
But who could believe Kwai could be so sweet at home, where she waited impatiently for us to spread out an old orange sweatshirt as her invitation to curl up on our laps? Where she devotedly groomed her adoptive "baby", Lynx, after their rambunctious kitty kung-fu workouts. And where she was champion goalie of the sport of kibble hockey: That's where I'd flick kibbles across the kitchen floor toward the refridgerator guarded by Kwai. She'd race to pounce on them to prevent them going under the fridge, and devour them on the spot. She was a skilled goalie! Few were the kibbles that escaped her and went to the vacume cleaner.

How we miss you, our Chang-a-lang! On your last night in thislife, we played kibble hockey once again. On the bureau top, not on the kitchen floor... but you pounced so eagerly and devoured your treats like in the good old days. I never would have guessed you'd be gone in the morning. A month has gone by, we still cry, but we remember the good times too, and smile.