Woman has her dead cat’s ashes mixed into ink for tribute tattoo
Heather Ojeda, 42, from San Jose, California, first met Tribble, a tabby and calico cross, at the veterinary surgery where she worked in 2000, after the feline arrived in a box
A WOMAN has had her beloved cat’s ashes mixed with ink for extra-special tattoo.
Heather Ojeda, 42, from San Jose, California, first met Tribble, a tabby and calico cross, at the veterinary surgery where she worked in 2000, after the feline arrived in a box.
Heather explained: “One day a woman walked in holding a little cardboard box.
“She said a bunch of kids were playing with some feral kittens and when they went to put this kitten back, the mum had moved.
“She didn’t want anything to happen to her. And when I lifted the paper towel, there she was – her eyes hadn’t opened and her ears were flat down.
“I volunteered to try and feed her and I fell in love with her.”
The pair instantly bonded, and although Heather hadn’t been looking for a cat, she decided to take her home.
She said: “I tried to find her a home, but it was a bit half-hearted, so eventually I just took her home and we hand reared her.
“My husband at the time and I didn’t have any kids – and we didn’t want any – but she was basically our child.”
“I was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes, so we were bonded. She was just the best thing that ever happened me.
“She was my first kitty and she opened my eyes to my love for cats.”
Heather and Tribble remained the best of friends for 15-and-a-half years, with the much-loved kitty even helping Heather through a difficult divorce; Tribble was always by her side.