Annie

Today the World's Best Cat passed away. I'm quite sad about this. We got Annie when I was 14 or 15 traveling back to Salt Lake from a weekend vacation with the family in Mesquite. We stopped at the Smith's in St. George where a boy was trying to get rid of a bunch of kittens. My mom picked this long haired black kitten. I fell in love with Annie, a perfect tabby. As we got in the car with the black kitten, I begged and pleaded for the little orange one until Delbert turned around and we went back for Annie. It really didn't take much convincing. We never even made it out of the parking lot.

Annie got his name because 1) I loved the movie Annie as a little girl. 2)The boy giving out the kittens was positive he was a she. Katie (the black cat) was also a he. We learned this when we took them to get spayed and they wound up neutered.

Annie is the worlds best cat for a variety of reasons. He would lay on your chest for hours. He'd curl up on your pillow and purr. He was friendly, but not annoying. He liked popcorn. He was great with kids. They could abuse him and love him in anyway they pleased and he would take it. Eventually he might go hide, but he wouldn't hiss, scratch or bite. He just go limp and wait for the kids to be done with their misguided love. He was tough too. I once saw him take on a raccoon. The fight was a draw because I scared them, but it takes balls for a cat to challenge a raccoon.

I'm not sure where cats go when they die, but Annie deserves the finest spot in kitty heaven. You were one of the highlights and staples of moms house.