Abandoned by her original owners and expecting kittens, she discovered the dish of cat food I kept out under one of the vans and she clung tightly to that steady source of food. One morning when I went out to fill the dish, she popped out from under the vehicle, looked up at me and said hello.

I brought her inside and set her up in the shop with bedding and a litterbox. Gradually over the next week, she worked her way into the house and up to the bedroom. Two weeks after we met, she gave birth to six kittens in a nest box I had set up for her in the back room. Frieda, Cissy, Lucy and their siblings entered our life.

Inobtrusive and self-contained, Demi was a member of our household who was content to have a warm, safe place to sleep, regular meals and occasional cuddling, but time brought to us a greater appreciation of the little polka-dotted calico with her unfailing affection. She slipped into our routine with barely a ripple but she was a comforting presence in our daily lives.

I knew when she asked to come into the main house that she was getting ready to leave us. She spent the last two weeks of her life dozing by the wood stove with fresh food and water close by. It was a long, bitter-sweet good-bye.

Despite our efforts, she faded to a ghost of her self. At last the day came when she couldn't move herself from her bed and her eyes were distant, as if she was already on a journey to a country only she could see. She had given us every bit of herself and was worn out.

So we released her from her failed body.

Thank you for all the years you loved us, Demi. Thank you for finding us when you needed a home for your babies. You brought so much life and laughter to us through those kittens, and your endless affection was a blessing we will always remember. May your happy heart play among the breezes of summer and the dancing stars of winter.