Phoebe Campbell

2003 - November 30th, 2021

“Phoebe the Cat” appeared literally on our doorstep about 12 years ago. She fur was matted and her body was thin. She wore a purple collar which was matted into place at her neck. She appeared to have been homeless for a while. We took pictures, put up posters, and made phone calls but we were just never able to find her people. While we searched, Phoebe sat patiently on our porch. She loved to greet family members returning home from their day and would trot up the sidewalk beside them escorting them to the door. She watched us through the windows from the outside. It was inevitable she made her way through that door after about a week or so … and right into our hearts. Phoebe became a part of our family in no time.

Phoebe blossomed into a beautiful cat. And once she established herself in our home, she eventually became the natural head of our non-human family members. “Queen Phoebes”. Even the dogs gave way to her at the water dish. She claimed her own chair – the lazy boy – where in her later years she spent 80% of her time.

Phoebe didn’t give too much attention to cat toys but truly enjoyed playing with sweater strings being worn. She enjoyed rubbing foreheads together and had a solid punch if she felt one of the dogs weren’t giving her enough space or to establish her place in line at the water dish. She would sometimes hold her paw up in consideration, whether it was worth her effort, and it was more a love tap she delivered by the reaction of the dogs who got the message but also seemed to enjoy the interaction.

A special memory, was that Phoebe would usually join me for “teatime” when I read after supper, and she liked ‘reading’ her newspaper in the morning and being involved in that routine. To Phoebe, reading was a participatory and social activity – playing with bookmarks, rubbing the book, or sometimes even trying to have some tea herself.

I miss her sudden appearances at meal times, picking up on unknown cues that it was that time. I also miss her waiting to greet me when I came out in the morning. We believe Phoebe to have been about 18-19 years old and are so grateful for the large portion of her life she spent with us.

Rest in Peace dear Phoebes, you will always remain in our hearts xo

Phoebe will forever be loved and missed by Jackie, Sydney & Natalie and Drew, along with Kristen, Hanna and Brooks plus the extended family members, friends and neighbours. We like to imagine Phoebe keeping Kylie in line during play time with Al, and them snuggled together in an armchair each night. Run free sweet girl ❤️