Obituary for Kitten: Snickers, "Nixy"
Snickers, "Nixy" passed on December 18, 2025, at age 8 months.
Snickers had mottled fur, mostly black with tan and brown variation. Her toe beans were mostly black, wit one tan paw with pink pads. She had white whiskers on one half and black on the other, and a black nose.
Snickers had a brother adopted with the name Leo, changed to Dio, Diogenes in full.
She and her littermate were both born with feline leukemia, a viral disease that makes them prone to sickness. Nixy was practically always sick. Eye boogies, sneezing, and lethargy. She was always milder than her littermate, less inclined to bite and scratch and jump, more inclined to sit still, blink slowly, and cuddle.
Snickers was the foodie (aptly named), overpowering her sibling, growling at him during mealtime. By the time she was too sick to fight, Dio was still hesitant to eat before her.
Nixy was prone curiosity for the fridge whenever I opened it. In the beginnings it was sticking a head in the door, then it progressed to depositing herself literally in the refrigerator. Before her health declined, she would run over and jump in the fridge, before I could stop her, and hide in the back where I had trouble reaching her. Dio learned from her before she passed, and carries on this tradition (albeit a touch less unscrupulous).
Despite her calm demeanor, she was audacious and commanding. Out of the two of them, she was the only one to escape the front door.
Loss reveals expectations.
Opening the door when I get home I expect two would-be escapees.
Opening the fridge I expect two bodies to run and jump inside.
When one set of legs tears across the floor, I still expect to hear another.
Reflecting after the death, warning signs become obvious. Guilt creeps in, and tells me what I should have done, could have noticed. I knew with feline leukemia, they would have shortened lifespans, I was not expectant of the possibility death might come before her first birthday.
Diogenes is as playful as ever, yet there's a stillness. I have a cat wand with a mottled design similar to Snickers, I think of her when her sibling plays with it.
