About 14 years ago, our daughter was struggling with decisions about her Himalayan cat, Tacoma. A gift from her mother-in-law, Tacoma enjoyed a cushy lifestyle, sharing his home with Coasty newlyweds and a friendly chocolate lab. He suffered though, repeated urinary tract infections, life-threatening more than once, and when they moved up to Maine he had a serious bout with a blockage and spent three weeks in the veterinary hospital. Thanks to some great care, he pulled through, and joined my household. At first, Tacoma was so very shy, but we are easy going around here, albeit chaotic at times. So, it took some time, and though I remember not how long, his personality began to show, and he has been the most wonderful cat, the most personable, friendly, tolerant...and now the eldest. Tacoma turns 17 years old this February. He shares that birthday with his brother in Union. We talked about getting them together for a photo, but with all this modern technology at our fingertips, we opted to take individual portraits and post them together. Here’s Tacoma and Vinnie at 17. Handsome. Good care, good food, warm beds, and lots of love. That’s a recipe for the good life, cat style!