I was pleased when Mike and Pat’s mom asked me to do their memorial portrait because I knew them personally from their young kittyhood. They adopted my friend in the early 1980s. I was their cat-sitter when their human family travelled.

Both were affectionate cats, but expressed it in different ways. Pat was the snuggly one, who installed herself on your lap the moment you sat down and didn’t leave until forcefully removed! I never saw such a tiny cat — she could easily curl up in a cigar box!

Burly Mike showed his affection by bringing home the fruits of his hunting expeditions. On one house-sitting stint I was getting more and more concerned about the noxious odors coming up from the basement. I looked everywhere to find the culprit, emptied dehumidifiers and threw bleach water down the floor drains. The stench just grew stronger! Finally, I gave up and asked my dad to come help me figure out what was happening, so my friends didn’t return to a rotting house. Alas, he found the problem: Apparently Mike had brought home his trophy — a squirrel — and deposited it behind a piece of furniture in the basement for safe-keeping quite a few days earlier! Phew-y!

Memorial Portrait of Mike and Pat, Susan Donley, 2007. Collection of Catherine Raphael. Graphite pencil on 11×14 inch 100% rag paper.