Remembering Mr. Kenya

Mom was looking at some pictures she had saved in Photobucket and ran across this one:

Mr. Kenya, Dir. of Rodent Control, Ret. - Dec. 2007

This is Mr. Kenya, Director of Rodent Control, Retired. He lived in and around the gift shop at the botanical gardens in Phoenix, Arizona. Mom visited the gardens on her first trip to Phoenix in December 2007. She had just left the gift shop and sat down on a short wall to take a rest. Mr. Kenya was soaking up some late afternoon sun on the walkway. He ended up jumping up on the wall and sitting beside mom for a bit.

You can't tell it from the picture, but Mr. Kenya was a very old kitty. Around 19 if mom remembers correctly. Mom said if you saw him in person you would know that he was an old man. One of the gift shop ladies said Mr. K used to hunt rodents and rabbits when he was young. He spent most of his time sleeping now.

Mom took a few pictures of him, scratched him behind his ears, and then she had to go. About a month later she called the gift shop to inquire about purchasing an item she had seen. She was talking to the lady about Mr. Kenya and found out that he had crossed the Bridge on Christmas Eve. Mom thought that was the perfect time for this furry angel to go to his real forever home.

When mom got off the phone, she emailed copies of the pictures she had taken to the lady she had spoken with. The lady emailed her back and thanked her for sending them and said she was so glad to have them.

Mom's been back to Phoenix several times since then, but not back to the botanical gardens. She's often wondered if they have hire a new Director of Rodent Control. She said it would be wonderful if they did, although no one will replace Mr. Kenya.

Our mom and Mr. Kenya - Dec. 2007