Queen Jasmine:
Approximately October 2007 – June 11, 2026
I didn’t plan to get another cat when I met Jasmine. I already had a cat at home who had proven that she couldn’t be around other animals without assaulting them. So when I was at the Kansas Humane Society as a volunteer, administering feline personality tests on the cats, I knew I couldn’t take any of them home. And then I met Jasmine. Her scores were off the charts in sociability and playfulness. From the moment I met her, this six year old cat didn’t see me as a stranger, but a friend to cuddle and play with. However, she also had a bad sneeze. When I informed the staff of her sneeze, they implied that she would have to be put down. I left that day without Jasmine, knowing my other beloved cat wouldn’t accept her, but I kept thinking about her and knew I had to save her. The next day I was back, adopting Jasmine.
After I brought her home, I kept her separated from my other cat (Misty) while I tried to figure out how to re-home her or find a no-kill shelter for her. But I thought… while I have her, I might as well try to see if they could get along. Over a month or two, I supervised tense visits, and let them sniff each other at the door. Misty fought her, but Jasmine fought back and tamed the bully. One day, I saw Misty grooming Jasmine and knew then that I would keep her. I’ve since tried with two more cats, but Misty wouldn’t have it. Jasmine was the only companion for her.
For the next nearly 13 years I was blessed to be her mom, Jasmine was such a joy in my life. I feel grateful that she got to live a long, happy, healthy life with me, living to an impressive age of 18 years and approximately 8 months, hardly slowing down for the longest time.
In true orange cat fashion, ever-curious and truly fearless with no sense of stranger danger, she blurred the lines between brave and stupid. She never met a stranger and made a cat lover of everyone who met her. She was strong willed, aggressively affectionate, and highly food motivated. On the ornery side, she could reach into a bag of chips in front of you and run off with one if you look away for a second. She was also very sweet and loving. Every day when I’d come home from work, her and her sister, Misty, would meet me at the front door. With the loudest purr, she could tell when I was sad or sick and would stay by my side, healing me with her purrs. A constant companion, she loved to sit on my lap and climb up onto my shoulder and would sometimes ride my shoulder around the house.
Jasmine in my brother’s words:
“A force of nature, she ignored most boundaries if it meant being able to rest on your lap, or steal your chicken dinner from the kitchen counter you repeatedly forbid her from stepping foot upon. When strangers entered the house, she would unabashedly come looking for affection, immediately making friends of anyone she was around. A true companion, she always wanted to be next to you and share in what you were doing, even if that meant inflicting painful love-fueled headbutts. A true representative of orange cats, she wasn’t afraid of getting herself into anything and everything. As it was impossible to not become deeply attached to her once you knew her, her presence will be sorely missed.”
In the words of one of her cat sitters, Billy:
“Jasmine was so sweet and made me happy when I would watch her. When something so loving has to go it always makes things feel lesser.”
Queen Jasmine was truly the best, most special, one-of-a-kind cat. There has never been another like her and there never will be again. A bright spot in the world, she really left her mark will be dearly missed.