I am in Owings Mills, Maryland right now for a business trip.  They are EST, which is two hours ahead of my usual MST.  I had just gotten to sleep last night at about midnight when my phone rang.  It was my mom.

My sister got a cat when we were growing up, and he was wonderful.  His name was Mr. Big Kitty, and he was one of those monstrously large ginger tabbies.  Our big orange baby, he'd bring us home presents of dead squirrels, all of their blood drained and their dry, squirrel, mummy bodies lined up on the porch at night.  He had such a great personality.  Mister would come bounding up to you and push and push with his head.  He always had a purr and a snuggle, if only for a few minutes before he went back off on his own.  

If you remember me talking about my sister at all, you'll remember that she is a flagship of bad choices and immature decisions.  Her latest in this long line of mis-steps, is the choice to live like a vagrant hobo on wheels.  Her and her boyfriend in a battered, filthy RV driving across the country.  Working odd-jobs long enough to get booze money and enough gas for the next destination.  No septic holding tank.  No air conditioning.  8 miles to the gallon (without the tow bar they added to drag his car).  An RV that would be condemned and require hazmat gear for entrance if it were ever inspected.

To Texas.

In August.

For "Matt-Matt's" birthday.

 While they were driving down the highway with the windows down, and Mr. Big Kitty, Orange Baby, jumped out of the window and was crushed by the piece of shit car they are towing down.

My sister seems mostly heart broken.  I couldn't get more than a few words out of her before she broke into tears.

I'm reasonably sad about this, but I'm even more pissed off.  She wasn't feeding him anymore.  "He's a cat, he can hunt for his food."  Mom offered to take him until they came back through town, so she could get some meat on his bones.  "I'm not going to leave orange baby, he's MY cat."  They were keeping the cat, 2 damned dogs (one of them a GREAT DANE with SKIN ALLERGIES who is absolutely miserable and is losing her coat due to the rashes and scratching), a damned BOA, and a family of mice (some feeders, some pets, find out who makes the final cut, next on Oprah) in her LESS THAN 200 SQUARE FOOT DAMNED RV!!!!

I hope to hell that this shook her bad enough that she takes a look at her life and the choices she's making and stops being so ridiculously selfish.  The least she can do is give her dog a chance to live a decent life where someone will get her the medicines she needs.  To start thinking about the creatures she's made a promise to be responsible for instead of her own stupid selfish desire.  Or to place them in homes that WILL meet their needs.

Damn I'm going to miss that cat.