Dude

Congratulations to my big fat black cat Dude for attaining the age of 17 years as of 7/9/2005. The oldest cat I've ever owned, and still going strong.

He was born behind the couch in the apartment I shared with then-girlfriend (now ex-wife) Melody in Lakeside, CA, in 1988 on the same day that I flew to Illinois to check on job prospects that soon led to my return to Illinois from a 3-year stint in San Diego.

His father was my cat, "Tranch" (short for Tarantula, a name given by a friend who was amused by the long white hairs that stood out through his otherwise smooth black coat); his mother was Melody's cat Gizmo (who earlier survived a near-fatal encounter with a car, and had pins in her leg). On that same morning, my female cat Jasper & Melody's male cat JYC (Junkyard Cat) had a litter under the dishwasher that included Misty, who passed away in February of '04.

Dude & Misty were the 2 kittens that we brought with us from California when we moved. He's older than 3 of my kids (one of whom has her driver's license), and remains the alpha male in a 5-cat household.