This is my third cat, Joni’s page! We adopted her on December 14th, 2021. Her birthday was April 2nd, 2021. She sadly passed away very young on April 10th, 2024. RIP Joni Kitty.

Joni was the sweetest cat, and quite possibly, the sweetest soul I’ve ever known. I instantly fell in love with her the first night she was here when she jumped right on the bed and started rubbing her face all over me with gratefulness at adopting her.

In the last few months, any time I would pick up my keys, she would run over because she knew I was about to leave. In fact, when I put on my shoes and socks, she would jump on me and meow in my face. It got to the point where I had to leave an extra 5 minutes early daily so that I could cuddle her. I would hold her and she would purr, and finally she would let me go, but I always wished I could’ve stayed longer. It became the best part of my day.
In fact, I’ve never had such an affectionate cat; it was kind of like having a dog without having to pick up poop on the street!

She was obsessed with paper bags, loving to be on top or inside them, eschewing any boxes we put out, though she was starting to use her new cat tree a little more regularly. She was also a big kneader and would often “make biscuits” on pillows, comforters, and my legs if I was lying down covered in a blanket. She would always come over and lay with me when I was reading, and she often took a nap right by my feet while I was working at my desk. Over the last few weeks, she had started lying on my chest while I was watching TV, which made me so very happy.

Joni was a speed runner. You would think she was on one side of the apartment, but she was actually on the other even though you just saw her. Being black, it was easy to think she was anywhere a black item was. She also loved jumping up on everything very quickly and out of nowhere, including my lap and my desk. However, she would always meow first to warn that she was coming up.

Indeed, she was so conscientious and also very patient. She never once woke me up, which is quite amazing given how often and how long I sleep. Speaking of sleep, Joni would often wake up from dreams, and start meowing wildly: “Where am I? Where am I?” before running over to say hi then going back to sleep.

Other quirky behaviors included not allowing me to hole punch sheet music for cabarets because she loved being on paper so much, covering up her half-eaten food with anything she could find, sitting on the stove after every use (probably for the warmth), licking the crud on the stove, and hanging out on the lip of the bathtub between the shower curtain and its liner.
She will be so incredibly missed, and I’m still absolutely devastated that she passed shortly after her 3rd birthday. She forever changed my life, and I will cherish her memory always.

You can also find her Caturday photos on Facebook!