George was a beautiful orange Tabby kitty.  He was a family pet, purchased from a pet shop in Lakewood (Tacoma) when I was nine years old.  Mom wanted a female so we also adopted Gracie who was from the same litter as George.  George sired a litter with Gracie a couple of years later, and after that he was neutered. When he was around 8, he experienced a urine problem caused by too much ash in his diet.  However, it wasn't life threatening.  His favorite activity was sitting in the sun.  He was a good mouser, occasionally bringing home mice or even a bird.  One summer (1982) my dad had a rat infestation in the attic and so he put George to work in the attic. 



Sadly, one day George went outside and never came back.  Several of the neighborhood cats had also disappeared.  Unfortunately, coyotes are known to attack pets in the area.