R.I.P. Frazier Rainey — 2007–2025

Frazier passed away last night at the age of 18—almost 19. He'd becomepretty frail over the past several months, but he remained active, otherwisehealthy, and always hungry. A couple of days ago, he took a rapid downturn, and we knew the end could not be long coming.

Back in 2007,he showed up on our doorstep (as have most of our cats who became our cats) andwouldn't go away. The little girl next door started calling him Frazier, and thename stuck. He fit right in with Dusty and Chester, our other two boys, and itwasn't long before he and Chester became inseparable best friends.

Frazierand I developed a strong bond immediately, and it reached the point where Icould scarcely move from one room to another without tripping over him. Hehelped me write (I constantly had to edit cat words out of my manuscripts),watched TV with me, and slept on top of me. In late 2012, Droolie arrived on thescene, and—unlike with Chester—the two of them didn't do much bonding. However,every morning, they'd mock-wrestle in the kitchen as I prepared theirbreakfasts, while Chester circled like a referee in a wrestling ring.

Dusty passed away in 2013 and Chester in 2015, leaving me with Frazier andDroolie, who got along, but only just. In 2021, Ms. B. moved into the house withher three boys—Moose, Ralph, and Rufus—and this created a new, very tumultuousdynamic. No one trusted anyone, cat fights became more commonplace, and ourrespective kitties strengthened their bonds with their original people.Eventually, a somewhat uneasy peace broke out. After poor little Ralph passed away fromcongestive heart failure in 2023, the cat world settled into a still-uneasy but generally lessagitated state.

Through it all, Frazier remained essentiallyunfazed. The most mellow of the bunch, he continued his sweet, friendly ways,and even as an older cat, he became more and more playful. Oftentimes, usuallyat night, I'd hear this loud, long wailing noise ringing out of the darkness, which atfirst alarmed me. Then I found out that Frazier had simply found a cat toy andwas announcing to the world, "I GOT IT! I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" Whenever we hadvisitors—whether friends, a plumber, an HVAC service guy, a painter, anelectrician, or what have you—all the other cats ran and hid, but Frazier alwaystrotted out to say, "HI! I'M FRAZIER!"

When it was clear thatFrazier's health was declining, I made a special point to spend as much timewith him as possible; it felt like every day we had together was a gift. I trulybelieve he knew how much both Ms. B. and I loved him. On his last day, he madea strenuous effort to get up on the bed beside me, and that is where he spent his final hours.

Since my elementary school days, I have lived with and lostmany animals, and I have loved every one of them dearly; Frazier, though, was aparticularly special little guy, and I will miss him with all my heart for therest of my days.