Long Live Luna Bear

My first kitten, Luna Bear, the mascot of the Phillie Mansion, has passed away at 20 years old. 

Luna Cielo Perez, 2016-2026

This is the final post I've been waiting to make on here. After this considered this blog sealed. 

Prelude to a Tuxedo Cat

There was a foreshadow. A few years before I got Luna I got this in my Xmas stocking. Looks familiar huh?

I first got Luna when I started living on my own in the Mansion. One day my mom dropped off a tiny tuxedo kitten she had found out in the world, and she needed a home. Turns out I had a home. So I kept her in locked up in the bathroom while I went to college during the day, otherwise a rambunctious kitten would tear up my house and/or get into trouble when I'm gone. Gotta kitten proof the house! 

Look at those ears!

Luna became acclimated to the house and after that we became best pals. She loved to be in the same room with me as I worked, and followed me through out the house when I was home. I often roughhoused with her, and even carried her by the scruff until long after she was a kitten, so she was used to it. She never shied away from rough play. In her later years my dad would twirl her and pull her (playfully) by the tail. To any outsider it looked abusive, but she never screamed and when he stopped Luna would turn around and nuzzle his hand for more! 

Speaking of...

She was a tough kitten.

September 2006

Life was fun with Luna around the house. When I'd come home we'd play an elaborate game of  hide n' seek where she literally wouldn't say anything or come out until I found her. Sometimes she would just be in my bed in the dark bedroom, when I'd turn on the light she would look groggy and give me an angry chirp like "dammit, why you buggin me?"

January 2007

When puberty came around, Luna was particularly feisty. She had begun to mark spots around the house with her scent, I even caught her peeing on the couch! Fortunately, I got her to the vet in time and she was fixed, from then on no more issues.

Life was pretty cool with Luna bear. She loved the upper-story apartment and watching all the action happen below. She'd stay up late with me and then join me for coffee at noon.

Meeting a rabbit in the street in the middle of the night

Our feet's

Sometimes my loud music would drive her to go hide out under the bed. She never cared for anything overtly noisy; she hated Sonic Youth. Otherwise, she loved music and music making devices.

Luna was a good sport as she was moved from time to time to accommodate certain living and care-taking situations. She was always a one-cat kinda cat, and though there were a few times she lived with one other cat roommate, the other cat may have annoyed her but she always tolerated.

More pics of Luna through the years.

Where'd her legs go?

Luna catching me stalkin'

she's asleep right above me sleeping.

again, where are her legs?

People coming over loved Luna bear.

I moved out of the mansion, but I could not take her with me do to a preexisting pet situation in my new place, so Luna went to live next door with my parents. They gave her a great home. One time in 2012 she went missing for two months. We searched everywhere but we couldn't find her. When she finally came back she was super skinny. 

We never got to the bottom of the mystery of her disappearance, but we suspect she was trapped somewhere with very little access to food and water. She made it home and returned to her healthy weight.

At first she stayed with them inside, but she had a terrible habit of peeing outside the litter box when too much litter was scattered about. So my parents made her accommodations outside in the backyard. They built her an elevated condo, and she was completely fenced in all around. The only thing that would get in were other cats coming to eat her food, which she would occasionally fend off, but after a while she stopped caring. Other than that she was completely safe and at peace in her backyard.

My dad never grew up with pets, and Luna being very much a boys' cat, took to him. Next thing you know, my dad likes cats.

Her later years. 

Luna became a mainstay at my parents house. She hung around the backyard and greeted everyone who arrived.

The last photo I took of her.

I held my kitten every chance I got.

More shots in her habitat.

And now some videos.

So many photos! I just wanted to make a post that was worthy of my late furry little friend.

Even after I moved out I never wanted to get another cat cuz I thought, "I still have a cat." She was the last horcrux to a life I was living 20 years ago, hence me posting this here. 

Journey well, my sweet little bear. There will always be a place for you in the meadow of my heart.

she went thru so many of these collars!