Category Archives: Cats

Frosty – a pal

Frosty Foster. Aspin Hill Memorial Park.

This is my favorite tombstone in the entire cemetery — Frosty, a white cat, posing in a blue dress.  If you’ve ever had a cat, you know that they are usually not inclined to tolerate nonsense like this from their owners.  Frosty, owned by the Foster family, must have been one special cat.  The simple tagline “a pal” at the bottom of the tombstone is understated yet sincere.

Inscription:

Frosty
1934-1945
A pal

FOSTER (across the top edge)

Location:

Aspen Hill Memorial Park
N 39° 04.751 W 077° 04.585

Timmie the Cat

Timmie the cat, with his canary friend, Caruso. Harris & Ewing, ca. 1929. Library of Congress LC-H25- 155282-BK [P&P]
Timmie the cat, with his canary friend, Caruso. Harris & Ewing, ca. 1929. Library of Congress LC-H25- 155282-BK [P&P]
Timmie was, by all accounts, and extraordinary cat. For one thing, he loved birds. Most cats would rather eat them than befriend them. But Timmie would let them perch on his head or his back. Once he had a baby robin as a companion, but it had to be released into the wild. His owner bought him a pair of ducklings. Timmie loved those ducks, and was devastated when they had to be sent away because they were too big to keep in a city apartment. They were replaced by a baby chick. Timmie’s most famous avian pal was Caruso, a canary who belonged to Calvin Coolidge.  Timmie was so enamored of Caruso that Coolidge gave him to the cat for keeps.
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Napoleon the Weather Prophet of Baltimore MD

Napoleon the Weather Prophet of Baltimore MD
Napoleon the Weather Prophet of Baltimore MD

During one of my many visits to Aspin Hill Memorial Park, I couldn’t help noticing Napoleon the Weather Prophet’s gravestone, especially when the afternoon sun gave it an orange cast. It stood out among mostly gray markers which surrounded it. When I read the inscription, I felt I simply had to investigate this cat.
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