First, there was Stella

Stella is the subject of the first graphic novel I'm working on. My nice black cat Sam got mauled by raccoons. One morning before school I'd gone out back to let the chickens out, and there he was in the driveway...a pile of gore with black fur.

So after a few weeks of grieving, I went in search of a kitten. I adopted Stella, a pure white kitty, from the SPCA. In fact, now that I think about it, I got her during Spring Break so that we'd have time to bond before I went back to work. Because she wasn't feral like Sam was when he was a kitten, Stella was very affectionate, and I soon learned that she could be taught to fetch.

But life has a way of painting its own masterpieces. Two years later, I threw our lives into upheaval with a relationship breakup and a move. I couldn't keep Stella, but fortunately my son-in-law's father could. With him, Stella's life became one of deep connection and narrow escapes...perfect for a cat.