He came to the Braden family through a teacher friend of Anne. For some reason the friend was no longer able to care for a cat, and the Bradens were looking for one.

The cat's name was Conan, but it needed a new name to go with its new home. Initially our new pet was very shy, finding its way into the garage and hiding there. With its gray color, the cat was the "Gray Ghost." Hence his new name of Mosby, named after the famous Confederate Cavalryman John S. Mosby who conducted numerous raids on Union forces and "owned" the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War.

Technically, Mosby's breed was American Longhair, but he sure did have a lot of Maine Coon Cat in him. He had a big fluffy tail, large paws (Maine Coon Cats are good mousers), and a wonderful, loving disposition. Yes, cats have their own world but Mosby was exceptionally friendly.

Mosby was an indoor cat. That's what we told him, but he would love to sneak out and explore around the outside. Once he had an encounter with a neighborhood dog who roughed him up pretty bad, requiring an ER visit to the local Vet. And another time he found his way into the storm sewer and it took him over a week to find his way out of the sewer system and back to the house.

Mosby lived most of his life at the Braden home on Sablewood Drive, and he loved his time out by the pool. And many times when he was in the house he was content to lay by the sliding doors and push his head through the vertical blinds to keep an eye on "his" pool area. The lifespan of a Main Coon Cat is about 15 years, and though we do not know exactly how old Mosby was when he passed away, he was probably 15 years pushing 16 years.

Mosby died of renal failure, a common cause of death for cats. Although in his last six months he had an increasing degree of arthritis in his back legs, he was never in pain. The arthritis just mainly made him less mobile. The renal failure had been predicted during his annual checks with the Vet. The nature of renal failure is that there is simply a time when you go to sleep and do not wake up.

Thank you God for giving us Mosby. He was a very good cat and we will miss him greatly.