Rosalba

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2006:

Rosalba (1991-2006) died of cancer on July 10, 2006. Born
in inner Bridgeport near a Catholic school that was closing down,
she appeared to be the last survivor of an early 1991 litter. Her
mother, called Maybelline by the nuns, was trapped at the same
time, pregnant. She gave birth to four kittens the next day.
Rosalba shook as if she had palsy, and her eyes constantly blinked.
She was the most pathetic cat I had seen. I thought our veterinarian
would recommend euthanasia. I wanted to feed her and give her some
comfort before she died, and I thought she needed a pretty name,
because she looked so dreadful. Her fur was grey with dirt, but I
could see she was white, and I named her Rosalba–“white rose” in
Spanish–after a Mexican friend of mine. To my surprise her
condition quickly improved with feeding. She was quite robust for a
time. She had to have all her teeth taken out quite young, then she
developed a chronic skin problem that lasted for most of her life,
but–always a stoic–she seemed to enjoy her life.
–Kim Bartlett