Mr. Sterling Mink May 22, 2000 – September 15, 2013 Mr. Sterling Mink, a Maine Coon mix, passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning September 15 at his home on top of Kings Mountain in Woodside CA. He was 13 years old. Known also as “Mink”, “Minkster”, “Michael Minken”, and “Mr. Beautiful”, Mr. Mink was originally from Mendocino, CA, where he was adopted by us from the Mendocino Humane Society’s mobile adoption center on Jonathan’s birthday in 2005. Mr. Mink had an extremely mild and mellow disposition, offering unconditional love and kindness to all around, especially Jonathan, with whom he formed a special bond. Mr. Mink spent the first year of his new life sitting on a shelf in Jonathan’s closet, where he had a good view of Jonathan at his desk and the big trees outside. Eventually Mink grew more bold, venturing into the office, out into the hallway, and even downstairs to be among the family. Mink preferred spending his time at an elevation of three feet, resulting in his occupying a variety of places such as the closet shelf, the corner of our bed, various spots on Jonathan’s desk, and the top of his printer, giving new meaning to the term “multifunction”. Most mornings, Jonathan would be awakened by Mink jumping up onto the bed and putting his head and paws on his chest. Mink would also dutifully assist Jonathan by reaching out to touch his face as he sat at his computer typing out weighty emails to his worldwide business associates. When Laura brought home a new kitten, “Squeak”, Mink took on the role of raising her as his daughter. His calm and patience were a perfect match for this task, as she would jump all over him or walk back and forth in front of him for hours on end. This father-daughter relationship was quickly forgotten, however, when Squeak reached maturity, although a combination of inexperience plus having gone under the knife caused the population to remain stable. Until the end, Mink and Squeak remained best friends, curling up together whenever the opportunity arose. Mink’s troubles began with a case of inflammatory bowel disease, which he contracted as a result of being fed “Science Diet”, which in turn was prescribed to him for a previous chronic condition of blocked urinary tract. Mink had shrunk from a healthy 16 lbs. down to 11 lbs. at the time of his diagnosis. Switching him to a grain free all natural diet plus administering a regimen of medications caused him to regain full weight and strength in a short time. His dramatic recovery was noted with pleasant surprise by his doctors, who had not predicted such positive results. A year and a half later, Mink again experienced rapid weight loss. This time the cause was high grade lymphoma, which grew rapidly while we were away on travel. Mink’s new doctors began chemotherapy treatment, which was claimed to offer a 2/3 chance of success. Being a special cat, however, Mink fell into the 1/3 category. He became lethargic and lost his appetite, causing his weight to drop rapidly from 16 lbs. down to 11, then 10, then 8.6. During the last week of his life, Mink continued to exhibit an unquenchable desire to give and receive love. Although he was weak and could barely walk, he would muster all his strength to crawl toward us to be picked up, which of course we did with the greatest pleasure. Not being able to put an end to this wonderful display of affection, we held on as long as possible. Laura applied her magical kitty powers to extend his life for a full week through a combination of feedings and treatments that gave him strength to hang on. His care took up all of her waking hours, until Jonathan came home to relieve her duties in the evenings. Finally, we all had to let go and accept the inevitable, and Mink died relatively peacefully in bed with us. Among his many notable achievements, Mr. Mink broke the fur ceiling by being the first feline to be elected Chairman of the Board, a position which he held until his passing. His portrait occupies a commanding spot above the credenza in the boardroom where refreshments are served at each meeting. Mr. Mink was also the founder of the Ten Principles of Minkism, which are offered here for the reader’s benefit: 1. The best life is a life of giving love unconditionally. 2. There is always fun to be had. 3. Don’t worry about the past. Good times are about to happen! 4. Remain calm. Nothing is worth interrupting that good time feeling. 5. Yellow fluffy things are good. 6. If you hold out long enough, eventually you’ll get what you want (like tuna!). 7. On second thought, just enjoy the moment. 8. Maintain a positive mental attitude at all times. 9. Forgive everyone and everything. There’s no point in holding on to hurt. 10. Sharing is important, so add your own principle here. Mr. Mink is survived by his parents Jonathan and Laura, his sisters Squeak and Little Kitty, and his brothers Blake and The Monster. Mink also has a blood brother who was adopted separately and whose present whereabouts are unknown. Mr. Mink, you are the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. Your passing has left a hole in my heart and my life larger than any I have ever known. You have given me boundless love and joy and have accepted my devoted affection in return. I will always remember you, and I will always love you.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 19:38:27 +0000
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