It is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I type this 3 days after the passing of Chat Noir. Pillow to cry on, confidant, playmate for 2 of our children, travel companion, and "that darned cat." On the 23rd of December Chat Noir or "Chani" as many of you know her left us for another world after twenty-one wonderful years of brightening our families' lives .

Chat Noir joined our family when Maggie and I got our first apartment in Oberursel, Germany over 20 years ago. Even as a kitten "Chani" showed she was the boss, attacking Maggies best friend who had crashed on the sofa after a party as she snored (Chani did not like snoring we learned!). We moved just after that to a place up in the Taunus Mountain Range and that was where during one holiday visit, Chani snuck up behind Maggies father who was sitting on the sofa and started batting him in the ears while standing on her hind legs... what caused that we never know but I think I actually peed my pants laughing so hard as Maggies father yelled in shock at the cat "attacking" him-Maggie was of no assistance either, laughing so hard she could not speak nor even stand up to shoo Chani away... Chani found the whole incident quite amusing. Chani and Maggies father got over the incident with time and were friends for years after that although he never turned his back on her again!

Chat Noir kept Maggie company when I was away throughout her life.

Chani, December 2003, new home in Bavaria, Germany

Whether it was when I was off fighting in Iraq, as a technical advisor on month-long stints in Bosnia/Croatia/Serbia including one December that found Chani and Maggie providing each other comfort on Christmas Eve as I tried to stay warm in a bombed out building... (I will never forget Maggies voice and Chani's meow coming through on the satellite-phone as I laid there with snow drifting in holes in the blown out roof) Even simple business travel recently that found Maggie and Chani with our children when I was away-Chani was always there... always providing a soft "place" to lean on, someone to talk to, a playmate to chase and be chased, and an ear for hearing the children when they cried out for help (Chani was so much better than all those electronic monitors, alarms etc.)

Chani and a good friend Sonja who stopped by in the MIddle East to visit. Chani already knew Sonja for years and had no problem making herself comfortable as Sonja got over her jet-lag after arriving on the Arabian Penninsula, 2003.

Chani was personally known by friends and family on at least 4 continents, had traveled or lived in at least 7 countries, had more "air miles" than Maggie and I's parents all combined (and most folks we know actually.) AND she understood us in German, English, and Hungarian.

Chani, September, 2006, New Hampshire-USA

Most figured she would leave us a good 10 years ago but she had other plans. She was a little trooper for sure and even kept her humor when lost in Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport. With a name that in French means "Black Ca,t" finding a black cat with the same name, in Paris, proved quite a challenge. After many laughs with some understanding baggage handlers, Chani was reunited with us (say what you want about the French, Paris and the airport there but the baggage handlers are #1 in our book-they can strike all they want!)

Chani, January 2007, New Hampshire, USA

Many folks have met Chani, even a good half dozen hard-core hunters in Northern New England... Chani's always welcomed hunters during fall in our home as her favorite thing for dinner was fresh Venison, preferably braised rare in a nice Marsala glaze although she never turned down Snow-Shoe Hare, Grouse, or fresh Lobster either...

(Chani's tail in background at Cadens 6th Birthday-hoping for him to drop some Shrimp-something she "taught" Caden to do quite well over the years! Caden always claimed an "accident" but we suspected otherwise as he seemed to always drop Shrimp after the tail for her!)

We figure the love for lobster and crab was from all the fresh fish like King Mackeral, Golden Trevally, and Cobia that she ate when in the MIddle East (along with healthy portions of fine Syrian Lamb!) and the clams she literally INHALED when we live in Italy. As one might guess, eating well appears to be a contributing factor to long-life.

Maggie with her eyes closed but Chani has hers open so I kept the picture! Arabian Gulf-Maggie is 9 months pregnant with Cade-she had Caden I believe 2 days after this photo!

Southern Italy was where she showed just how tough a little 4 pound black cat can be if she wants to! In Italy our Villa was below the neighbors place and one day a huge dog, a shepherd mix, managed to jump over the fence falling down 12 feet or so into our yard. The dog entered our house (we never closed the doors leaving them open for the fresh ocean air) and was wandering around when Maggie and I ran into it in the house.

Southern Italy, one of our very close friends Pam and I. The wall the dog came down is in the background.

To say we were both scared and taken by surprise is an understatement. As the dog started growling to attack, Chani came down the stairwell and promptly attacked the dog, chasing it out past the palms in the yard where she cornered it as it was unable to jump 12 feet straight up to escaped. I went out with the key to the gate and let the cowering and bloody dog out as Chani kept it cornered. She then of course, dropped out of guard-cat mode and went back to her favorite pastime in Naples-watching the sun set in the Mediterranean!

We buried Chani with Christmas Eve upon us. She is buried here in New Hampshire and for those of you that have been to our place, she is out back at the rise where the hardwoods and pines meet, in the midst of Cadens Blueberry patch overlooking the wild game trail where the squirrels, foxes, deer and Moose travel through. We felt it was fitting for her.

After 21 long years, Maggie and I's (and poor Cadens)

Caden and Chani, December 2007, Caden age 2

hearts miss Chat Noir dearly... I hated cats when Maggie and I first met, hated them pretty bad-who would have figured that I miss a cat almost as much as a person right now. Caden and Chani became soul-mates of a kind... protecting each other and getting into trouble together. Some animals are " pets" and some are a bit more,

taken just before Chani left us

Chat Noir was definitely a "bit" more... we miss you Chani, rest in peace and God Bless!

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