A Sweet Girl

Shortly after I started the CV Weekly I was looking for an office. As luck would have it, I found the perfect spot at the corner of Honolulu and La Crescenta avenues. In mid-September 2009 I moved in and not long after became acquainted with the office cat named Cookie.

She would start her day by wandering through the complex, checking in on each office to make sure that all was okay. Some days, she would settle in one office though she could be found outside most of the time.

She had a collar with a nametag that read Cookie – that’s how we knew her name. We think she may have lived with a family who lived in a house on Hermosa behind our office, but then one day she showed up at the complex without her collar on and from that point forward she really didn’t leave the building.

As the years progressed, Cookie and I became fast friends – her doing, not mine. She would come more often into my office, eventually taking up residence on one of the chairs or the windowsill. Countless times she would be perched there when someone would walk by on Honolulu, see her and then tap on the window to catch the cat’s attention.

She would leap onto my desktop in the morning after I arrived at work and “knead bread” on my lap, digging her nails into my slacks snagging them. Lisa Stanners, who works here, is a big-time cat lady and loved seeing our sweet girl in the office. Lisa became the bringer of the treats and Cookie would know to high tail it into my office when Lisa was here so she could get some kitty candy.

I became Cookie’s unofficial mom and took her to Dr. Speas for her check up or when she got into a tussle with another animal like she did late last year. I wasn’t the only one willing to foot the vet bills; others in the complex reached into their pockets if a vet bill came due.

As the years passed, Cookie began to slow down and her reflexes were not what they once were. Lately she barely got out of my car’s way when I pulled into the office parking lot. Many of the tenants chastised her for her complacency warning her that if she didn’t move faster she might get in trouble.

On Monday, she did get into trouble. Apparently she was lounging in the parking lot and was hit. Thankfully another tenant came into my office to let me know that Cookie was injured. Though I raced outside, the damage was done and within minutes our sweet girl was gone.

A piece of my heart broke when Cookie died. She was such a sweet cat – and for a dog person like me, that says a lot.

Rest in peace, Cookie. You’ll be missed.

  robin goldsworthy