Uni Watch girl mascot Caitlin celebrated another trip around the sun yesterday, turning 18. That’s 88 in human years! (She’s catching up to my mom.) As you can see above, she still looks regal — the queen of all she surveys here at Uni Watch HQ.
I adopted Caitlin and her brother, Uni Watch boy mascot Tucker, in June of 2005 when they were six weeks old. The guy who brought them and their littermates to the shelter said they were born in his garage on April 30, so that’s how I know the exact birthday. Tucker died in 2017 (R.I.P.), but Caitlin is still going strong.
Well, pretty strong. The last year or so has been tough on her, as she’s developed pancreatitis, which has slowed her down, caused her to drop a lot of weight, and led to sporadic bouts of vomiting. She’s definitely not as frisky as she used to be, but she still purrs when I pet her, still kneads on my chest when I wake up each morning, still hops up on the bathroom sink to drink from the faucet (even though she already has a fountain-style water thingie in the kitchen), and still brightens my day every day.
Mary hadn’t seen Caitlin since she moved out last fall, so she came over yesterday to help celebrate. She brought some kitty treats that Caitlin really went bonkers for:
After that, there were lots of new cat toys and some catnip. Here’s the birthday girl, totally stoned on ’nip (in the bowl) and cradling one of her new toys:
All in all, a very good 18th birthday! Here’s hoping we get to celebrate her 19th next year.
———
Caitlin wasn’t the only member of the Uni Watch family celebrating a birthday yesterday. Ticker assistant Lloyd Alaban, who compiles the Tickers that run on Wednesdays, was also marking another trip around the sun. Hope you enjoyed your special day, Lloyd! — Paul
Happy birthday to Lloyd and Caitlin!
Happy birthday Caitlin!
Wishing you many more! We love our two little mascots as well.
Happy Birthday Lloyd and Caitlin.
Caitlin’s had a long, tenured career as Uni Watch mascot. Long enough to have finally seen the Toronto Maple Leafs win a playoff series!
Happy Birthday Caitlin!
There’s nothing better than a cat’s love. Congrats to Caitlin and Paul and here’s to 19!
Such a pretty kitty
Happy birthday Caitlin!
Awww – she still looks good to me! Keep it going, Caitlin!
Haven’t commented in a while, but still reading daily. Just wanted to say…
Happy birthday Caitlin!
And also, thanks for keeping this kind of content in the mix. I appreciate you putting in the personal content that allows us as readers to connect to you on another level.
Happy Birthday – Cheers!
Happy birthday Caitlin and Lloyd!
The saddest part of having a pet is knowing you will probably outlive them. We had to put one of our doggoes down earlier this year and our other one is closing in on 14 but he’s aging rapidly.
Such sweet photos of Caitlin. Happy birthday to Lloyd too!
Happy Birthday Caitlin!! Such a sweetie!
And HBD Lloyd as well!!
happy birthday caitlin!
Happy Birthday Caitlin! Wishing you many more!
HDB Caitlin & Lloyd!
Happy birthday beautiful Caitlin! My childhood dog was almost 18 and we had to say goodbye to him on April 10. I hope you have many more healthy years. Glad Mary got to say hi.
Happy Birthday UniKitty! Or is it UniCat?
That is a sweet post. Happy birthday to Caitlin and Lloyd.
Caitlin’s birthday led me down a catnip rabbit hole. I’ve never been a cat guy, and never knew much about the nip. I honestly had no idea it was a plant mainly grown in Asia. It’s a rather strange phenomenon that I knew very little about. Thanks Caitlin..
Happy birthday to Lloyd and Caitlin! I’m a big fan of the contributions both of them make to Uni Watch!
Happy birthday, Caitlin! She looks absolutely great for any age.
Happy birthday to you, too, Lloyd! I hope it’s a great one.
I have learned that when you have a cat for that long (or dog for you dog people) it really is like a member of the family. Here’s to Caitlin, and the good feels she gives you!
Happy birthday, Lloyd and Caitlin!
Nice to see The Captain! Pretty kitty too.
Happy Birthday, Caitlin and Lloyd!
Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone!
Happy birthday Caitlin!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Caitlin!
HBD Caitlin and great to see the Tugboat Captain (Mary) again!
Happy birthday, Caitlin! I (and also Birdie the cat) wish you many more!
A former coworker had a cat live to 21 or 22! I sincerely hope Caitlin makes it past that!! Happy Birthday!!!
I have the honor of sharing my birthday with Caitlin and Lloyd. I guess April 30 is a good day to be born on.
Way to go Caitlin. Happy Birthday!