She's off to Kitty Heaven.
One of the most recognizable feline residents of Nelson, Izzy the Baker St. cat, has passed away at the age of 18 according to the Kootenay Animal Assistance Program Society (KAAP). The irascible feline, which spent most of her time between the 300 and 400 blocks of Baker, lived a long and idiosyncratic life in a variety of households.
For the past 11 years her primary residence has been Cotton Creek Clothing, where she was taken care of by Noreen Lynas.
"She's had an amazing life and there are so many stories. I'm sure if she could've told them, they would've been incredible," Lynas said of the cat, which was also known as Stevey French and Patches.
"I saw online they call her a sassy bitch, and it's true. She's always been a great mouser and she's pretty feisty, but in the past three weeks things had started to go downhill. She was ill and suffering, so we made the hard decision to let her go."
Izzy inspired multiple media stories, and was beloved by the business owners who adopted her in the last years of her life. Lynas characterized her as fiercely independent, but also friendly when she needed to be.
"There are so many people who came into the store, people I never would've met if it hadn't been for Izzy. She was a fixture in our store and she was always there first thing in the morning, happy to greet you."
Recently Izzy was getting weaker and losing weight, and after getting sick repeatedly the decision was made that it would be kinder to put her down than risk her continuing to go about her business downtown.
"I'm glad she had a great life but she must have considered me an enemy as she drew blood every time I made the mistake of getting too close!" posted Darleen Van Sickle, who was only one of the many residents wishing Izzy a restful break in the afterlife.
"I just pet her last week, and she was the friendliest I've ever seen her! She let me pet and scratch and rub and pet some more! I love that darling little Earth Angel," wrote Colleen Leishman.
"Our former neighbour cat," Linda Crosfield posted. "Gone to the big litter box in the sky. Sleep well."
Memorial plans are in the works, and a journal will be available for customers to write stories and memories of Izzy. Lynas message to Izzy: "you brought a lot of people in here and you brought the community together. I'll never forget you."
And though she's sad to see her go, Lynas hopes she's in a better place.
"I know she's chasing mice up in Cat Heaven now."