Today is a sad day at the Blue House.

Princess Granola passed away at some point during the night.

Princess Granola was Katie Beth’s cat…..her 5th Birthday gift. The ONLY thing on her birthday wish-list that year was a cat of her very own, a black and white one.

I was thrilled to find a tiny little black and white Humane Society kitten at PetLand, and when she tried to claw through the glass cage to get to me, I knew she was the One.

Katie Beth chose the name Princess Granola because it was the most BEAUTIFUL name she could think of.

She’s caused us some stress and anxiety over the past 2 1/2 years, because one of her favorite habits was to get under our house and forget how to get out, at which point she’d HOWL at the top of her lungs for hours on end, day and night. And yes, I even crawled on my belly underneath the house to pull her out….MORE THAN ONCE.

But still, she was a sweet, affectionate little cat and a nice addition to our family.

I have no idea what happened to her. I found her laying in the neighbor’s yard this morning, where she appeared to be sleeping…by all appearances a happy, healthy cat, and only 2 1/2 years old!

Katie Beth has taken the news surprisingly well. I waited several hours to tell her….trying to work up the nerve….convinced it would be tragic to her. We’ve never faced the death of a pet before!

Sometimes, surprisingly, children are much tougher than we are, and though she was sad and a little teary-eyed, I was proud of how she handled the news.

We’ll miss you terribly, Princess. 🙁